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Allergan and Pfizer merger – what does it mean for the cosmetic industry?

The news is finally out. Botox maker Allergan and US drug giant Pfizer have announced they are to merge in a deal worth a staggering $160 billion.

Allergan LogoThe merger between the two former rivals creates a new pharmaceutical ‘supercompany’ which is set to be officially the world’s largest pharmaceutical company by sales.

There had long been talk about an Allergan buyout. Indeed, on our blog last year, we covered the unsuccessful takeover bid made by Valeant.

Now this new deal secures the long-term future of the company, and ushers in exciting new possibilities to research, discover and deliver more medicines and therapies.

The future for Allergan

The new company has a combined pipeline of more than 100 mid-to-late stage programmes currently in development.

And with dramatically increased resources to invest in R&D and manufacturing in future, we’re likely to see some incredible innovations in the cosmetic industry in the not-too-distant future.

As Brent Saunders, Chief Executive Officer of Allergan, says:

“The combination of Allergan and Pfizer is a highly strategic, value-enhancing transaction that brings together two biopharma powerhouses to change lives for the better. This bold action is the next chapter in the successful transformation of Allergan allowing us to operate with greater resources at a much bigger scale. Joining forces with Pfizer matches our leading products in seven high growth therapeutic areas and our robust R&D pipeline with Pfizer’s leading innovative and established businesses, vast global footprint and strength in discovery and development research to create a new biopharma leader.”

What does it mean for you?

This soon after the event, it’s difficult to say what – if any – impact the merger will have on you and your business in the coming months. 

But at Cosmetic Courses, we have a great relationship with Allergan and are in frequent close contact. As soon as we know about any changes that are likely to affect you, we’ll of course be sure to let you know as soon as we can. So do keep an eye out on our blog, newsletters and social media channels.

For the time being, it’s business as usual – albeit with some exciting new possibilities on the horizon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Beyond Botox courses – what you need to learn about patients

Cosmetic Courses: banner showing an introduction to blog what yo need to learn about your patients

So you’ve decided you want to set up in aesthetics, and are busy researching Botox courses. Great choice. But if you really want to be successful in the aesthetics industry, your training is just the start.

To thrive as a Botox practitioner, it’s important to know how your patients and prospective patients feel about treatment. Get inside their minds and understand not only their hopes, but also their concerns – and any barriers that may be holding them back. 

After all, if you know what’s stopping them, you’ll know how to reassure them. 

There are plenty of misconceptions about Botox, and being able to address them with your patients is vital. Unfortunately, this isn’t usually covered during most Botox courses.

So to give you something to think about, here are 4 of the most persistent concerns, along with some guidelines for what to say to your patients.

> Botox is unsafe 

Cosmetic Courses: Photo showing our Botox coursesDespite its popularity and widespread use, some people are still unconvinced about the safety of Botox. They believe that, because it’s a toxin, it has the potential to be harmful when injected.  

But as practitioners, we know that Botulinum toxin is extremely safe when administered in the right dose by a qualified medical professional. So stress that to your patients.

You can also tell them that Botox has been safely used for many years in a medical context, to treat migraines, bladder problems, etc, which should help allay their fears.

> I’ll look frozen and odd

Ah, the dreaded ‘frozen face’. It’s a very real fear for some people that their face will be rendered blank and immobile by Botox. They might have seen unflattering pictures of celebrities and be terrified of having the same outcome.

So for those patients, let them know you’ll take a conservative approach. You can always top up at a later date if needed. Stress that you believe in achieving the most natural results rather than the most dramatic – and if that means erring on the side of caution, so be it.

> Botox is indulgent/only for vain/rich/famous people 

Like most aesthetic pursuits, the early adopters for Botox were celebrities. But it’s now grown in popularity so much that it’s now the world’s favourite non-surgical treatment.

And as it’s grown in popularity it’s become more affordable and accessible. So the chances are that everyone knows someone, or knows of someone, who’s had it.

So let your patients know that far from being something famous/rich/vain people do, it’s something that at least some of their neighbours, friends and colleagues are likely to have done!

> Botox is scary and painful 

Needles and injections can strike terror into the hardest of hearts. And here’s where your powers of reassurance need to be at their best. 

Let them know exactly what they’ll feel. A slight pinching sensation that will be over in a matter of seconds. Tell them people often compare it to a mosquito bite, so if they’ve ever had one of those, they’ll know they can deal with it.

Stressing that the treatment doesn’t require anaesthetic should also help reassure them that any discomfort is likely to be minimal. 

Find out more about our Botox courses

Cosmetic Courses are the UK’s most established Botox training provider. We offer scheduled and bespoke Botox courses to medical professionals at fully equipped training centres throughout the UK. For information about our Botox courses, or to book, call us on 01844 318317 or email [email protected].

 

 

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Excuse me, where are the Dentists and Botox? Aisle 6, Sir…

An enterprising dental practice in Carlisle has come up with a cunning plan to make treatment more accessible to patients.

The Centre for Dentistry has applied to Carlisle City Council to convert part of the Sainsbury’s in Caldewgate to a dental surgery.

But not just any dental surgery.

The plan is to offer cosmetic treatments, including chemical peels and Botox, to shoppers in the store.

Dentists and Botox alongside the beans

Thanks to a long-standing partnership, the business already operates in 25 Sainsbury’s stores around the UK. But if given the go-ahead, the Carlisle surgery will be the first to offer aesthetic treatments.

Subject to approval by councillors, the surgery will be open from Monday to Saturday, with an emergency clinic on Sundays. It will be in a prime position right at the front of the store.

The firm bills itself as “a new and very different kind of dental practice offering general, cosmetic and specialist dentistry to all”. And with innovative plans like these it’s hard to disagree.

Any Botox for you today Madam?

Offering Botox and other non-surgical treatments in the reassuringly familiar surroundings of the supermarket will no doubt help to demystify the treatments.

What once required a daunting trip to a specialist skin clinic will become as routine as picking up something for dinner.

Add in the sheer convenience of being situated somewhere people return time and time again and it seems likely shoppers will be tempted to give treatment a try.

A spokesman for the company said: “Our practices are situated conveniently in selected Sainsbury’s supermarkets throughout the UK. By working in a close partnership with Sainsbury’s, we can provide highly convenient, friendly and complete dental services.

“This is a good alternative to expensive, privately run high street dentists or busy NHS dentists with long waiting lists.”

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “The Centre for Dentistry are progressing plans for a new site and we look forward to planning decision in the near future.”

Cosmetic Courses have been bringing Dentists and Botox together since 2002, with our expert Botox courses for Dentists. For information on any of our training courses, please call the team on 01844 390110 or email [email protected].

 

 

 

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Botox treatment for ‘gummy’ smiles

The uses of Botox are many and varied, with the product currently licensed for all kinds of applications, both medical and aesthetic. Best known as an anti-wrinkle treatment, Botox is also used to combat excessive sweating, treat urinary incontinence, relieve migraines and reduce muscle spasms.

And the newspapers last week featured another aesthetic application for the drug – treating gummy smiles.

Injected into the upper lip, the drug temporarily reduces the strength of the muscles which pull the top lip up toward the nose when a person smiles. Consequently, the amount of gum revealed is smaller, creating a more pleasing “Hollywood” smile.

Dentists and cosmetic surgeons broadly agree that the ‘ideal smile’ sees the upper lip sit roughly level with the top of the teeth, with a maximum of only two millimetres of gum showing. According to Dr Stan Heifetz, a New York based cosmetic dentist, “Anything over three to four millimetres of gum showing starts to look ‘gummy'”.

To date, the most widely used treatment for correcting gummy smiles has been surgery, with several different techniques available depending on the underlying cause, including lip repositioning or gum lift/contouring surgery (gingivectomy).

But Botox has the advantage of being much quicker, taking only around 10 minutes to administer, as well as being far less invasive and cheaper for patients. And as with wrinkle treatment, results are fairly long-term, typically lasting for up to 6 months.

This particular use for Botox offers another popular treatment to add to your clinic. Here at Cosmetic Courses, we have been offering training in this technique for many years as part of our Advanced Botox & dermal fillers course.

For details on training in advanced Botox techniques, including treating gummy smiles, or to find out more about any other course in our programme, please give our team a call on 01844 390110 or email [email protected].

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Allergan Vs Valeant – the takeover saga continues

Who knew a takeover bid in the pharma industry would be so thrilling? The battle between Allergan Vs Valeant is shaping up like an epic tennis match, with shot after shot screaming back over the net.

The last was from Valeant, who announced they were seeking to bypass Allergan’s board of Directors and take their hostile bid directly to shareholders.

But now Botox maker Allergan have hit a blistering return. To head off the $53 billion hostile takeover bid, the board are preparing a slew of measures – including taking on debt to buy back their own shares.

Also on the table is a plan to make acquisitions of its own (anything Valeant can do…), as well as a round of spending cuts to increase shareholder value, according to Chief Executive David Pyott.

The hope is that these measures will be enough to persuade shareholders that Allergan is better off going it alone.

It’s thought that Allergan will officially reveal their masterplan when they release their second-quarter results later this month. But even then it seems the battle won’t be over.

Valeant have hit back, saying they already have enough shareholders on side to call a meeting to try and replace Allergan board members with nominees who support their takeover bid. They need the support of shareholders who hold at least 25% of the company’s shares.

Financial Analyst Ronny Gal says that while it’s possible for Allergan to swing things in their favour, they will find it challenging.

“When I run my numbers, a buyback alone doesn’t quite cut it. A buyback plus another round of cost cuts, or the acceleration of the discussed cost savings, does.”

An acquisition could help them, according to Gal, but only if it increases their profits – and quickly. To win round short-term investors, he says, Allergan needs to deliver another $10 per share in 2015 or $11 per share in 2016.

Get comfortable. Allergan Vs Valeant is going to run and run…

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Valeant seeking to bypass Directors to ‘seal the deal’ for Botox maker Allergan

This is the story that just won’t go away. We recently wrote about Botox maker Allergan rejecting a takeover bid by Canadian pharmaceutical company Valeant. But it seems Valeant have rhino hide, and won’t be letting rejection put them off.

It’s been reported that the conglomerate will this week launch an exchange offer for Allergan Inc, which will allow them to bypass the board of Directors and take their hostile bid directly to shareholders.

Allergan has already rejected Valeant’s $53 billion offer, but the company’s largest shareholder, Pershing Square Capital Management, has indicated it will be seeking a special meeting later this year to change most of Allergan’s board.

To trigger the meeting, Pershing needs to ensure the support of 25% of Allergan’s shareholders – an increase of 15.3% on its own holding of 9.7%.

Despite the challenge ahead, Valeant’s Chief Financial Officer Howard Schiller is bullish about their chances of shoring up the support. He pointed out that more than 50% of Allergan’s shares have traded since news of Valeant’s offer first leaked out on 21st April.

Talking about the controversy surrounding their approach to Allergan, Valeant’s Chief Executive Officer Mike Pearson, said:

“Hostile is not our preferred approach. But this deal was so strategic and financially compelling that it really makes sense.”

It increasingly seems that it’s a question of when, not if, this deal will finally go ahead.

 

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Is that illegal Botox in your face? Not sure really…

We recently reported on the scandal of illegal Botox being used in Australia. And now worrying findings in the UK have revealed that more than five in six people who have had Botox treatment admit to having essentially no idea what was injected into their face.

An alarming 84% of Botox patients questioned admitted they didn’t know what product was used on them when they had treatment. Nor did they know for sure whether it even contained the essential ingredient that makes the treatment effective – Botulinum toxin.

Other findings in the national study, carried out by a large cosmetic surgery group, included the fact that nearly a third (29%) of respondents said they had undergone illegal Botox treatment at a local beauty salon, 10% had Botox injections at home or at a friend’s house, and 3% were treated at a Tupperware-style beauty treatment party.

In keeping with these findings, and perhaps most worryingly of all, many of those questioned admitted they had no idea if the person administering their treatment was appropriately trained to perform the procedure.

But amid all these horrifying stats, there is perhaps a little hope on the horizon. Almost two-thirds of respondents (62%) who had either had or considered having non-surgical treatments agreed that the industry was not properly regulated, or that enough was being done to protect people having non-surgical treatments.

Tighter regulation can’t come soon enough.

Who are Cosmetic Courses?

Cosmetic Courses is the UK’s leading and longest established aesthetic training provider developed by Plastic Surgeon Mr Adrian Richards. We have 6 state of the art training clinics across the UK and over 50 online and offline courses available to medical professionals in botox and dermal fillers. Cosmetic Courses have trained over 8000 delegates to date.

To find out more about our aesthetic training courses for medical professionals please click here! 

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Illegal Botox causes Australian health scare

Several patients seeking Botox treatment at a beauty clinic in Perth, Australia were horrified to discover their treatment had been performed by an unregistered nurse using illegally imported Botox.

The revelation came after an investigation carried out in response to a customer complaint. The relevant state department has advised all patients who visited the clinic (Pastel Skin and Body Care) for Botox treatment to contact a public health nurse for a check-up.

They stressed that Botox, or Botulinum Toxin, is a prescription-only medicine, and as such must only be administered by a registered medical professional.

Deputy Chief Health Officer of West Australia, Andrew Robertson, confirmed that the patients given illegal Botox injections had bought their anti-wrinkle treatment via internet shopping sites – the biggest in Australia being cudo.com.au and deals.com.au.

Talking about the problem of tracking down all the people affected, he said: “Where possible, West Australia Health is contacting all of the clinic’s clients who have been given injections, but information on some clients is limited”.

Dr Robertson encouraged all patients who had received Botox treatment at the clinic within the last year – and not received a letter or email from the Health Department – to contact the West Australia Public Health Nurse.

He reiterated that anyone having Botox should ensure that their treatment was being carried out at a licensed clinic by a trained health practitioner – this being the best way to avoid the risk of receiving Botox of unknown provenance, and eliminate the chance of cross-infection.

Cosmetic Courses offers a wide range of accredited aesthetic courses, including Botox training, to registered medical professionals from around the world across of six state of the art training clinics, both online and offline. For information on any of our training courses, please don’t hesitate to email our team at [email protected] or give us a call on 01844 390110.

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UK Approves Botox to Help Stroke Patients

Botox manufacturer Allergan have just announced the latest in a long line of approved uses for the product – treating ankle disability in stroke victims.The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have approved the drug to treat cases of ankle disability caused by the lower limb spasticity for Botox to Help Stroke Patients.

Spasticity is one of the most common after-effects of stroke and can have a far-reaching emotional and physical impact on  sufferers. Lack of mobility often leads to a complete lack of independence, which can in turn breed frustration and, in some cases, depression.

This approval represents a major leap forward, offering healthcare professionals an important new treatment option and providing real hope for patients suffering from lower limb spasticity.

To date, Botox to Help Stroke Patients will be the twelfth indication approved for Botox in the UK.

Professor Anthony Ward of the North Staffordshire Rehabilitation Centre had this to say about the new treatment:

“This is one of the most important advances the post stroke spasticity community has seen for years and will hopefully bring additional recognition to this complex and disabling condition.

“Studies show that Botox treatment can significantly improve the muscle tone in stroke survivors with lower limb spasticity. By allowing the ankle to function more normally, this can bring important mobility and physical benefits to patients, even those who have been suffering from this condition for many years.”

There are currently more than a million stroke survivors in the UK, with around 152,000 new cases every year. Many of these will face huge challenges in the aftermath of their stroke.

Some degree of disability is a common consequence of stroke, with 36% of survivors reporting moderate to very severe disabilities, with problems performing everyday tasks such as walking, washing, getting dressed and eating.

Treatment of lower limb spasticity after stroke currently includes physical therapy, drug treatments and, in some cases, surgery.

Joe Korner, director of External Affairs at the Stroke Association, said of the news:

“There can be significant advantages in using Botox to treat people whose movement and walking ability have been affected by stroke. Up to 30% of stroke survivors are living with muscle stiffness, known as post-stroke spasticity, which means they have abnormal tightness in some of their muscles.

“Whilst this treatment might not be suitable for every stroke patient, we encourage stroke survivors living with spasticity in their arms or legs to talk with their GP about management options that might be right for them.”

Who are Cosmetic Courses?

Cosmetic Courses are the Uk’s longest running aesthetic training provider offering botox and filler courses to medical professionals both online and offline. Find out more here! 

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Advertising Standards Authority targets Botox adverts

Two skin clinics have come under fire by the Advertising Standards Authority – for promoting Botox as a beauty treatment rather than just sticking to factual information.

The ASA have announced a crackdown on the advertising of Botox as a beauty treatment and for making vague yet far-reaching claims. While the injectable is most famously known for its beauty benefits, the fact that it is technically a prescription medicine means it shouldn’t legally be promoted as a beauty treatment.

The types of taglines that the ASA have objected to are phrases which describe Botox in terms such as “revolutionary treatment”, “astonishing results” and having the ability to “erase lines”. Instead, they suggest that advertisers should “stick to the facts”.

It’s not the first time the ASA have stepped in to question advertising practices aimed at beauty. Four years ago they began a crackdown on the amount of airbrushing in adverts. They claimed the way in which extensive photo editing was used created a false image of beauty – one which was unachievable even for the real-life models.

Botox itself is already under review for the way it is administered, with recommendations made by a government committee under Sir Bruce Keogh’s instruction last year.

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