Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Botox Rival Issues a "Pepsi Challenge"

Remember the Pepsi Challenge? Commercials showing everyday folks surprising themselves by how much more they enjoyed Pepsi than Coke in a blind taste-test?

Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. is taking its Botox competitor, Dysport, to the streets with a similar come-on. According to the Dysport Challenge, consumers can enjoy a two-pronged wrinkle option: use Medicis' generous rebates to try Dysport, but if you don’t like it as much as Botox, they’ll give you $75 toward your next Botox injection.

Over the year since Dysport gained FDA approval, it has captured less than 10% of Botox’s marketshare. Spurred by growing competition at its heals, Allergan has been pushing Botox into consumer awareness as a treatment for migraines and sweating. In fact, although such off-label uses for Botox aren’t technically approved by the FDA, they account for over 50% of the drug’s annual revenue.

While this kind of marketing may be raising eyebrows among medical ethicists, we don’t see a problem with it. After all, the Dysport promotion is targeted at cosmetic patients. How is this unlike a competition between Maybelline and Cover Girl mascaras?

Drs. Jason Pozner & David J. Goldberg
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Sanctuary Plastic Surgery, Boca Raton
Skin Laser Surgery Specialists of NY/NJ

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