Replies to post #158668 on Biotech Values

[jessellivermore]

Update on JNJ’s competitive threat to Botox, which may have a longer duration of action:

There is virtually no chance that J&J can come up with a "longer lasting Botox"

The reason why has to do with how Botox works..Botox works by destroying the neuro-muscular connections of the facial muscles involved in the wrinkling process..Botox is present in very small concentrations...so small that it is hypothesized that the low incidence of allergic reactions to the drug are thought to be due to the amount being insufficient to register with the immune system..Botox fixes at the N-M junction soon after injection and takes around 4 days to destroy it..

Botox does not result in perminent loss of function because neither the muscle cell or the nerve cell are killed..just the motor endplate...The muscle cell continues to secrete Neural Growth Factors which entice the nerve to re-establish connection with the muscle cell...The duration of the Botox effect is principally determined by the time it tales the nerve cell to re-establish the NM connnection, and not the continued presence of Botox in the area...

Respectfully...JL

PS...J&J have made a lot of enemies in the cosmetic surgery field with their treatment of breast implants...I would never buy anything from them...

[DewDiligence]

Galderma enters the Botox-like botulinum-toxin market:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/galderma-initiates-clinical-development-novel-053000443.html

Current players in this market are AGN (Botox), VRX/Ipsen (Dysport), and Merz (Xeomin); Botox has about an 80% worldwide combined market share in all applications (medical and cosmetic).

JNJ has a Botox-like product in phase-3 called PurTox (see #msg-85982909 and ensuing Reply chain).

Galderma, which also owns the rights to the Restylane family of dermal fillers, is a 50/50 JV of Nestlé and L’Oreal.

[DewDiligence]

Revance (RNVC) files for IPO:

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/biotech/2014/01/revance-ipo-rvnc-medicis-botox-wrinkles.html

Revance, which is led by President and CEO Dan Browne and would be traded on the NASDAQ exchange as "RVNC," is in a Phase III trial of its lead product, RT-001, to eliminate crow's feet lines around the eyes. The drug is a topical formulation of botulinum type A, compared to injectable Botox. The drug eventually might also be used to control excessive sweating, migraines and allergic rhinitis.

… Revance is required to make payments to Medicis from specific types of cash Revance raises, including part of the IPO. Revance also will pay $4 million to Medicis when RT-001 and RT-002, an injectable form of botulinum type A that is designed to be more targeted and longer lasting than Botox, are approved.

$4M is chump change for a regulatory-approval milestone payment for two products. Medicis is now part of VRX (#msg-79186818).

I’m pretty skeptical that topical botulinum toxin will work as well as Botox in either cosmetic or medical applications. AGN is (IMO) more concerned about potential Botox competition from JNJ (#msg-85982909) than they are with what RNVC is doing.