by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright September 22, 2003
All Rights Reserved.

ooming its own version of reality, Irvine-based Allergan Inc.—the maker of Botox—has broken new ground, not in scientific discovery but in the use of propaganda and disinformation. Launching a relentless nationwide publicity campaign, Allergan has responded to adverse publicity stemming from lawsuits blaming Botox for disabling side effects. Full-page ads taken in major newspapers around the country claim that Botox is both safe and effective, citing its 25-year track record. “Botox will transform the world the way penicillin has transformed infectious disease,” said Mitchell F. Brin, a neurologist and vice president of Allergan, who first introduced Botox for treating spastic vocal cords in 1987. Like so many others, Brin is now on Allergan's payroll, paid to promote, market and peddle Botox. Brin frequently serves as Allergan's point man, feeding only rosy news to the media.

      Brin's statement can't pass unnoticed. Likening Botox to penicillin goes over the top, claiming that it cures potentially life-threatening medical conditions—which it doesn't. Allergan prefers to describe Botox a “natural purified protein derived from a bacterium much the same way penicillin is derived from mold,” creating the myth it's a healthy breakthrough discovery. Looking for the cause of botulism—a lethal bacteria found in contaminated food—botulinum toxin was discovered in 1820 by German doctor Justinus Kerner. Calling Botox a “natural purified protein,” makes its sound like health food, when in reality it's one of the planet's most toxic agents. Before WW II, the U.S. Army developed botulinum toxin as a biological warfare agent. Through the Cold War, the Army produced weapons grade botulinum toxin until 1987, when the chemical weapons ban went into effect.

      As a deadly toxin, researchers found that Botox paralyzed a powerful neuromuscular transmitter known for muscle contraction called acetylcholine. Researchers began diluting weapons grade Botox for medical use, specifically eye and neck spasms. Allergan sponsored the research of Canadian dermatologist Alastair Carruthers, who found Botox effective in relaxing furrowed eyebrows. Next, they funded his ophthamologist wife Jean Carruthers, who found that Botox relaxed eye twitches and inadvertently improved “crows' feet.” Before it had the manufacturing capability, Allergan purchased the entire U.S. military stockpile of weapons grade botulinum toxin. Allergan insists that Botox is non-toxic, yet Dr. Jean Carruthers admits the lethal dose is somewhere around 35, 20-unit vials. No one—including Allergan—really knows Botox's long-term adverse side effects.

      Now in full production, Allergan plans 93 potential medical applications for Botox, despite the Food and Drug Administration's approval for only eye and neck spasms and, most recently, furrowed brows. Treatments are now underway for cerebral palsy, migraines, stuttering, carpal tunnel syndrome, underarm sweating, tennis elbow, clubfoot, writers' cramp, obesity, ulcers, and, yes, female sexual dysfunction. In 1987, Allergan's vice president and media point man Brin introduced Botox for treating spasmodic dysphonia, a disabling voice condition called “the strangled voice.” Now recognized as a chronic treatment, patients receive up to 12 injections per year, raising concerns about cumulative effects. “If it's injected too deeply, it can go into the blood, not muscle,” said James Adams, USC associate professor of pharmacology, concerned about short and long-term health risks.

      A recent high-profile lawsuit against Allergan claims that Botox caused permanent disability, inducing debilitating fatigue, intolerable migraines, breathing difficulties and chronic weakness. Despite calling the suit “frivilous,” Allergan still took out full-page ads titled “The Truth About Botox,” touting its safety record. Allergan also deployed a legion of sales reps and physicians to malls around the country to “correct any misunderstandings” stemming from bad publicity, asserting that Botox is safe and effective. Allergan's PR blitz prompted stern warnings from the FDA. No matter how diluted, reprocessed or detoxified, Botox remains a deadly poison at specified doses and concentrations. Botox “works by creating damage to the nervous system,” said biochemist Nicholas Abrishamian, writing in the prestigious British medical journal “Lancet” in Sept. 2002, worried about its prolonged use

      No one should jump to hasty conclusions about the merits of ongoing litigation. But it's not premature to question Allergan vice president Mitchell F. Brin's outrageous claim that “Botox will transform the world the way penicillin has transformed infectious diseases.” Unlike penicillin, Botox cures no underlying diseases or dysfunctions. It simply temporarily relieves certain symptoms by suppressing uncontrolled spasms, paralyzing acetylchoine and preventing muscle contractions. All drug makers would like to invent, market and reap the rewards from the world's next panacea. Finding endless applications, sponsoring new research and publishing exciting results shouldn't blind physicians from carefully evaluating exaggerated product claims and weighing risks. Before sponsoring the next Botox party, Allergan should contain its euphoria and stop thinking only about the bottom line.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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