FDA Approves Expanded BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) Label to Include Eight New Muscles to Treat Adults with Upper Limb Spasticity

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan, an AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a label expansion of BOTOX^® to include eight new muscles for the treatment of upper limb spasticity in adults. The new muscles for treatment include additional muscles of the elbow and forearm (brachialis, brachioradialis, pronator teres, and pronator quadratus), as well as intrinsic hand muscles (lumbricals and interossei) and thumb muscles (flexor pollicis brevis and opponens pollicis). The label now includes the use of ultrasound as a muscle localization technique in adult spasticity.

"Today's announcement is especially important because spasticity is a disabling neurological condition that can have a significant impact on a patient's quality of life," said Mitchell F. Brin, M.D., Senior Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer, BOTOX^® & Neurotoxins, AbbVie. "This label expansion not only adds to our rich history in neurotoxin science, but also reinforces the role of BOTOX^® in upper limb spasticity treatment. BOTOX^® provides an evidence-based dosing strategy to meet the clinical needs of providers and their patients."

Spasticity in adults is commonly caused by stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, and traumatic brain injury. Individuals with spasticity experience stiffness in the muscles of their upper and/or lower limbs, and may have difficulty with voluntary control. Upper limb spasticity can manifest as a bent elbow, an arm pressed against the chest, or a curled-in hand with a clenched fist, significantly hindering the patient's ability to perform everyday activities. This can result in difficulty with posture and positioning, and severely interfere with normal muscular movement and function.

BOTOX^® has been proven to significantly reduce muscle stiffness and is indicated for the treatment of spasticity in patients 2 years of age and older. This expanded BOTOX^® dosing guidance provides physicians the ability to treat based on clinical assessment of a patient's spasticity and anatomy while staying within the BOTOX^® maximum cumulative dose of 400 Units in a 3-month period in adults. BOTOX^® has not been shown to improve upper extremity functional abilities or range of motion at a joint affected by a fixed contracture. The safety profile of BOTOX^® in adult upper limb spasticity remains the same, with the most common adverse reactions including nausea, fatigue, bronchitis, pain in extremity and muscular weakness.

"BOTOX^® has demonstrated efficacy and safety for spasticity management at clinically proven doses," said Kimberly Heckert, M.D., Director, Spasticity Management Fellowship, Thomas Jefferson University of Philadelphia. "This label expansion offers physicians and their patients living with spasticity another important tool as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for spasticity management."

BOTOX^® Training and Support Programs

Allergan offers a variety of expert-based BOTOX® education and technical training programs to help physicians enhance their clinical skills and injection practices. These training programs focus on using guidance techniques, such as EMG, nerve stimulation, and now ultrasound, to help localize muscles for BOTOX^® injection in adults with spasticity. In addition, the company is committed to providing resources and services, such as the BOTOX^® Savings Program, to help ensure BOTOX^® is accessible and affordable to patients.

About BOTOX^®

BOTOX^® was first approved by the FDA in 1989 for two rare eye muscle disorders – blepharospasm and strabismus in adults. Today, BOTOX^® is FDA-approved for 12 therapeutic indications, including chronic migraine, overactive bladder, leakage of urine (incontinence) due to overactive bladder caused by a neurologic condition in adults, cervical dystonia, adult and pediatric spasticity, severe underarm sweating (axillary hyperhidrosis), and pediatric detrusor overactivity associated with a neurologic condition.

BOTOX^® (onabotulinumtoxinA) Important Information

Indications

BOTOX^® is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used:

• To treat overactive bladder symptoms such as a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents (urge urinary incontinence), a strong need to urinate right away (urgency), and urinating often (frequency) in adults 18 years and older when another type of medicine (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken
• To treat leakage of urine (incontinence) in adults 18 years and older with overactive bladder caused by a neurologic disease who still have leakage or cannot tolerate the side effects after trying an anticholinergic medication
• To treat overactive bladder due to a neurologic disease in children 5 years of age and older when another type of medicine (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken
• To prevent headaches in adults with chronic migraine who have 15 or more days each month with headache lasting 4 or more hours each day in people 18 years or older
• To treat increased muscle stiffness in people 2 years of age and older with spasticity
• To treat the abnormal head position and neck pain that happens with cervical dystonia (CD) in people 16 years and older
• To treat certain types of eye muscle problems (strabismus) or abnormal spasm of the eyelids (blepharospasm) in people 12 years of age and older

BOTOX^® is also injected into the skin to treat the symptoms of severe underarm sweating (severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis) when medicines used on the skin (topical) do not work well enough in people 18 years and older.

It is not known whether BOTOX^® is safe and effective to prevent headaches in patients with migraine who have 14 or fewer headache days each month (episodic migraine).

BOTOX^® has not been shown to help people perform task-specific functions with their upper limbs or increase movement in joints that are permanently fixed in position by stiff muscles. 

It is not known whether BOTOX^® is safe and effective for severe sweating anywhere other than your armpits. 

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

BOTOX^® may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after injection of BOTOX^®:

• Problems swallowing, speaking, or breathing, due to weakening of associated muscles, can be severe and result in loss of life. You are at the highest risk if these problems are pre-existing before injection. Swallowing problems may last for several months
• Spread of toxin effects. The effect of botulinum toxin may affect areas away from the injection site and cause serious symptoms including: loss of strength and all-over muscle weakness, double vision, blurred vision and drooping eyelids, hoarseness or change or loss of voice, trouble saying words clearly, loss of bladder control, trouble breathing, and trouble swallowing

There has not been a confirmed serious case of spread of toxin effect away from the injection site when BOTOX^® has been used at the recommended dose to treat chronic migraine, severe underarm sweating, blepharospasm, or strabismus.

BOTOX^® may cause loss of strength or general muscle weakness, vision problems, or dizziness within hours to weeks of taking BOTOX^®. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities.

Do not receive BOTOX^® if you: are allergic to any of the ingredients in BOTOX^® (see Medication Guide for ingredients); had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc^® (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Dysport^® (abobotulinumtoxinA), or Xeomin^® (incobotulinumtoxinA); have a skin infection at the planned injection site.

Do not receive BOTOX^® for the treatment of urinary incontinence if you: have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or cannot empty your bladder on your own and are not routinely catheterizing. Due to the risk of urinary retention (not being able to empty the bladder), only patients who are willing and able to initiate catheterization post treatment, if required, should be considered for treatment.

Patients treated for overactive bladder:

In clinical trials, 36 of the 552 patients had to self-catheterize for urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX^® compared to 2 of the 542 treated with placebo. The median duration of post-injection catheterization for these patients treated with BOTOX^® 100 Units (n = 36) was 63 days (minimum 1 day to maximum 214 days) as compared to a median duration of 11 days (minimum 3 days to maximum 18 days) for patients receiving placebo (n = 2). Patients with diabetes mellitus treated with BOTOX^® were more likely to develop urinary retention than nondiabetics. 

Adult Patients treated for overactive bladder due to neurologic disease:

In clinical trials, 30.6% of patients (33/108) who were not using clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) prior to injection, required catheterization for urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX^® 200 Units as compared to 6.7% of patients (7/104) treated with placebo. The median duration of post-injection catheterization for these patients treated with BOTOX^® 200 Units (n = 33) was 289 days (minimum 1 day to maximum 530 days) as compared to a median duration of 358 days (minimum 2 days to maximum 379 days) for patients receiving placebo (n = 7). Among patients not using CIC at baseline, those with MS were more likely to require CIC post injection than those with SCI.

The dose of BOTOX^® is not the same as, or comparable to, another botulinum toxin product.

Serious and/or immediate allergic reactions have been reported, including itching, rash, red itchy welts, wheezing, asthma symptoms, dizziness, or feeling faint. Get medical help right away if you experience symptoms; further injection of BOTOX® should be discontinued.

Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions, such as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects, including difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing from typical doses of BOTOX^®.

Tell your doctor if you have any breathing-related problems. Your doctor may monitor you for breathing problems during treatment with BOTOX^® for spasticity or for detrusor overactivity associated with a neurologic condition. The risk of developing lung disease in patients with reduced lung function is increased in patients receiving BOTOX^®.

Cornea problems have been reported. Cornea (surface of the eye) problems have been reported in some people receiving BOTOX^® for their blepharospasm, especially in people with certain nerve disorders. BOTOX^® may cause the eyelids to blink less, which could lead to the surface of the eye being exposed to air more than is usual. Tell your doctor if you experience any problems with your eyes while receiving BOTOX^®. Your doctor may treat your eyes with drops, ointments, contact lenses, or with an eye patch.

Bleeding behind the eye has been reported. Bleeding behind the eyeball has been reported in some people receiving BOTOX^® for their strabismus. Tell your doctor if you notice any new visual problems while receiving BOTOX^®.

Bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infections (common colds) have been reported. Bronchitis was reported more frequently in adults receiving BOTOX^® for upper limb spasticity. Upper respiratory infections were also reported more frequently in adults with prior breathing-related problems with spasticity. In pediatric patients treated with BOTOX^® for upper limb spasticity, upper respiratory tract infections were reported more frequently. In pediatric patients treated with BOTOX^® for lower limb spasticity, upper respiratory tract infections were not reported more frequently than placebo.

Autonomic dysreflexia in patients treated for overactive bladder due to neurologic disease. Autonomic dysreflexia associated with intradetrusor injections of BOTOX^® could occur in patients treated for detrusor overactivity associated with a neurologic condition and may require prompt medical therapy. In clinical trials, the incidence of autonomic dysreflexia was greater in adult patients treated with BOTOX^® 200 Units compared with placebo (1.5% versus 0.4%, respectively).

Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you: have or have had bleeding problems; have plans to have surgery; had surgery on your face; weakness of forehead muscles; trouble raising your eyebrows; drooping eyelids; any other abnormal facial change; have symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) and are being treated for urinary incontinence (symptoms of a urinary tract infection may include pain or burning with urination, frequent urination, or fever); have problems emptying your bladder on your own and are being treated for urinary incontinence; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BOTOX^® can harm your unborn baby); are breastfeeding or plan to (it is not known if BOTOX^® passes into breast milk).

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using BOTOX^® with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received BOTOX^® in the past.

Tell your doctor if you received any other botulinum toxin product in the last 4 months; have received injections of botulinum toxin such as Myobloc^®, Dysport^®, or Xeomin^® in the past (tell your doctor exactly which product you received); have recently received an antibiotic by injection; take muscle relaxants; take an allergy or cold medicine; take a sleep medicine; take aspirin-like products or blood thinners.

Other side effects of BOTOX® include: dry mouth, discomfort or pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, neck pain, eye problems: double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids, dry eyes; drooping eyebrows; and upper respiratory tract infection. In adults being treated for urinary incontinence, other side effects include urinary tract infection and painful urination. In children being treated for urinary incontinence, other side effects include urinary tract infection and bacteria in the urine. If you have difficulty fully emptying your bladder on your own after receiving BOTOX®, you may need to use disposable self-catheters to empty your bladder up to a few times each day until your bladder is able to start emptying again.

For more information refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see BOTOX^® full Product Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide.

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @AbbVie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, failure to realize the expected benefits from AbbVie's acquisition of Allergan plc ("Allergan"), failure to promptly and effectively integrate Allergan's businesses, competition from other products, challenges to intellectual property, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry and the impact of public health outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics, such as COVID-19. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

SOURCE AbbVie

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