Who Makes Botulinum Toxin Type A?
Botulinum toxin type A is made by Allergan Pharmaceuticals.
How Does Botulinum Toxin Type A Work?
Botulinum toxin type A is a toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. The drug works by decreasing nerve signals to muscles, which helps them to relax. Botulinum toxin type A enters nerve cells and inhibits the release of acetylcholine, a chemical that transmits signals from nerve to nerve. The actions of botulinum toxin type A are not permanent, and the muscle will eventually recover and return to its previous state.
For severe sweating, botulinum toxin type A works similarly, blocking the release of acetylcholine from the nerve cells that stimulate the sweat glands.
Effects of Botulinum Toxin Type A
Studies have evaluated botulinum toxin type A to treat frown lines between the eyebrows. In studies, up to 82 percent of people who received botulinum toxin type A injections saw significant improvement one week afterwards, compared to just 9 percent who had received placebo injections (which did not contain any active ingredient).
This effect lasted for at least 60 days, after which time the effects of botulinum toxin type A appeared to gradually decrease. At 120 days after the injections, 39 percent of people who received botulinum toxin type A still saw improvement.
For cervical dystonia (muscle spasms of the head and neck), studies showed that botulinum toxin type A injections help relieve neck pain and abnormal head positioning, compared to placebo injections (which contain no active ingredient). In most people, the beneficial effects of botulinum toxin type A were gone after about three months.
Studies of botulinum toxin type A for severe underarm sweating showed that up to 86 percent of people who received botulinum toxin type A injections decreased their sweat production by 50 percent or more, compared to up to 45 percent of people receiving placebo injections (with no active ingredient). The beneficial effects of botulinum toxin type A lasted an average of 200 days.
Studies have also shown that botulinum toxin type A can improve eyelid twitching or spasms (blepharospasm) and misaligned eyes (strabismus) caused by abnormal muscle
contractions.
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