Government Issues Warning About Botox

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By Associated Press

M50o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr Government Issues Warning About Botox

Published: Sun, February 10, 2008 - 12:30 pm
Last Updated: Sunday, February 10, 2008 - 3:06 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government is warning doctors about Botox.
Officials say the popular anti-wrinkle drug and a competitor
have been linked to some deaths and some severe side effects that
suggest botulism.
The Food and Drug Administration says the deaths were all among
child patients, mostly those with cerebral palsy who'd been treated
for spasms in their limbs. It's a condition that the government has
never formally approved for the drugs' use in the U.S., although it
has been approved in other countries.
The drugs -- Botox and Myobloc -- use botulinum toxin, which
blocks nerve impulses to muscles, causing them to relax.
But the FDA says in rare cases, the toxin may have spread beyond
the injection site to other parts of the body. The results may have
included paralysis of respiratory muscles and difficulty
swallowing.
The FDA says the problems may have been caused by overdoses of
the drugs.
The maker of Botox says children with cerebral palsy have far
larger doses injected into their leg muscles than the doses given
to adults seeking to lose their wrinkles.
But the FDA warns that it also has reports of side effects in
people of all ages who are given the drugs for a variety of
conditions.

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