[Are botulinum toxin type A preparations really the same medication? A comparison of three botulinum toxin A for variations in labelled neurological indications]

Recently, the list of clinical applications of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) enlarged. This medication is used not only by neurologists, but also by medical rehabilitation specialists, urologists, proctologists, and migraine and aesthetic medicine specialists. Currently, there are three commercially available BTX-A preparations available: Botox, Dysport and Xeomin. They have similar mechanisms of action but their chemical formulation, clinical potency, migration and diffusion as well as safety profile seem to be different. This may result in problems of bioequivalence, not only clinical but also economic ones. The authors reviewed the available clinical and laboratory studies on neurological indications labelled in Poland. Each BTX-A formulation should be treated as a different medication and used cautiously according to the individual range of dosages established in clinical trials.