Juvederm now available to physicians

Irvine, Calif. - Botox manufacturer Allergan Medical is launching Juvederm, its "next-generation" family of hyaluronic acid dermal filler products, in November through an experience trial involving physicians with expertise in facial aesthetics.

At press time, Allergan anticipated it would begin accepting physician preorders for Juvederm products on Nov. 1.

"We are pleased to announce the availability of Juvederm Ultra and Juvederm Ultra Plus as they join Botox Cosmetic and our physician dispensed skincare treatments in Allergan's facial aesthetics portfolio," according to Robert Grant, Allergan corporate vice president and president of Inamed, a division of Allergan, in a prepared statement.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Juvederm products in June for the correction of facial folds and wrinkles. A nationwide launch is planned for January 2007.

Juvederm will compete in the marketplace with Restylane, the hyaluronic dermal filler marketed by Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Medicis Aesthetics.

Juvederm will be available as a family of three products, J24HV, J30HV and J30, which vary with respect to their amount of HA crosslinking and formulation consistency. The line is based on proprietary technology (Hylacross) that facilitates the production of particle free, malleable smooth gel fillers able to flow easily when injected.