Category Archives: Actavis

Allergan considers a 3% increase in the price of Botox starting in 2015

Botox, Juvederm, Latisse to possibly get a 3% rise in cost for those Botox practices purchasing from Allergan USA

I don’t have this 100% verified.  But I heard a whisper about this as I am a regular Modesto purchaser of Botox, Juvederm, Voluma and Latisse.  I heard that across the board all these three products are going up in price in January except the 5 ML Latisse.  I do recall that last January, Botox had a sudden increase in price which wasn’t announced ahead of time.  I think Botox practices deserve to know ahead of time for planning purposes.

However Allergan is about to merge with Actavis, and many of these practices and policies of price increases are probably going to change

A history of price increases

I remember when we started purchasing Botox in 2006 that every year, the price would go up.  To our humble Modesto practice, it felt like a bit of a struggle to keep up.   When the recession became more of an accepted ambiance, Botox prices stayed the same for a few years.  But starting in 2014, the prices started increasing.  I had a strong feeling that many practices in Modesto, including ours had greater temptation to migrate over to Xeomin and Dysport from Botox.    However, I think as with inflation, there tends to be an increase in just about everything all the time.

How much would Botox Cost at our Modesto Practice?

I think we would consider following the trend of price increases.  If our Botox source goes up 3%, we would probably consider following.  However last year when Botox price increased for us, I elected not to increase our Botox price for patients, yet.  Please call our office for the latest information.  Our phone number is on our Modesto Website.

Such is life in Modesto and life in general

Hopefully Botox’s prices doesn’t skyrocket to the point where we have constantly diminishing returns.   Diminishing returns?  There is pressure, naturally, to lower the price of Botox for patients – there’s competition from other injectors, there’s fake Botox, there’s Botox from other countries, and their’s other products that do similar things to Botox such as Xeomin and Dypsort.

Enter Xeomin and Dysport into the Modesto market?  Belotero and Radiesse?

In general, it’s good to keep an open mind about the possibilities of other products that work in the same areas as Botox, namely, Xeomin and Dysport.  I already like a lot of Non-Allergan products – meaning non-Juvederm.  My personal exploration with these other products were brought about in the early 2014 price increase that was suddenly dropped on me in January 2014.  So good things come out of things that appear bad at first.  I think  I wouldn’t have been such a supporter of Belotero – Belotero Balance – if I didn’t have a kick from the sudden jolt that I received from Allergan in January 2014.

Getting Botox has never been a right, like free speech

Getting Botox injected into one’s glabellar complex or crows feet has always been a choice, not a right.  Thus we can simply choose to avoid this price increase by avoiding Botox altogether.  That could be a choice for the consumer, or it could be a choice for the Botox injector.  For a cosmetic surgeon, there’s a choice to focus more on surgeries.  We can’t complain, as a team, my wife and I have had the opportunity to do many cosmetic surgeries.  In fact in 2014, we were voted Best Cosmetic Surgeon in Stanislaus County (which includes Modesto) from Contentment Health Magazine.

But I’d like to think that I’m trying to keep the prices reasonable for our patients in Modesto, CA.

Juvederm

juvederm

Do you have Juvederm?

That’s a somewhat non-specific question.  And sometimes patients use the word Juvederm to mean all sorts of fillers.  And the answer is yes, we have Juvederm in our Modesto office.   As of the writing of this Modesto Botox blog, we have all the different Juvederm which is available in USA.

First of all, how do you spell Juviderm?

Juvederm is the spelling.  No wait, it’s JUVÉDERM®

You need to have it all in caps and that fancy É and you need to trademark symbol.  That’s how it’s spelled correctly.  So I guess everyone for the most part spells it incorrectly.  So “Juviderm” is fine too.

Thus the confusion.

Juvederm is like Calvin Klein.  What?  So do you have Calvin Klein?  Well, it’s not exactly like that either.

Perhaps I should try to explain.

Juvederm is a family of fillers with varying properties.   They have different thickenesses, different size needles which come in the packaging, different duration, different indications, and of course injectors will have different preferences.

The empty boxes of the dermal fillers used today
The empty boxes of the dermal fillers.  Juvederm boxes up on top.  There are two syringes of Juvederm in each of the Juvederm boxes.

Juvederm in different countries…

Juvederm has different names, and outside of the USA there are many other variations of Juvederm.  Many of which I’ve not tried nor do I even know about (yet).

Juvederm in Modesto, CA, USA

I pretty much the entire collection of Juvederm products available in the United States in my Modesto Botox/Juvederm practice:  Surgical Artistry.  My wife (board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Tammy Wu), and I feel that the entire range of products are necessary for obtaining the desired results.

The different Juvederms are like different sized paint brushes

With the different Juvederm products, we feel that we can achieve different outcomes and for different skin thicknesses.

Juvederm Products – biggest difference is thickness

They are made by Allergan.

  • Juvederm Voluma
  • Juvederm Ultra Plus XC
  • Juvederm Ultra Plus
  • Juvederm Ultra XC
  • Juvederm Ultra

The XC products have lidocaine added inside.  Some patients might be allergic to lidocaine or may approach a toxic dose of lidocaine with too many syringes selected; thus a non-lidocaine version of the product may become more desirable.

The products above are listed in general from thickest to thinnest.

Read my blog about the relative thicknesses of dermal fillers.

There’s a whole world of folks arguing about the terms thickness, viscosity, G-prime, compressibility, lifting capacity, etc.  I understand some of the subtle differences.  But “thickness” is a simple way to look at it.

And XC probably stands for Xylocaine, or perhaps it stands for extra comfort?  I’m not sure, but perhaps it’ll be for the patients to decide – especially if they say, “that didn’t hurt at all, doctor!”  Music to my ears.

Although Lidocaine may rhyme with Candy Cane.  It’s not Candy.

Feel free to read my blog about toxic doses of lidocaine and how to calculate an estimation of safe limits of lidocaine; and there is a discussion of central nervous system adverse effects: nervousness, tingling around mouth, tinnitus, tremor, dizziness, blurred vision, seizures, depression, loss of consciousness.

Allergan makes Juvederm and Botox

and a host of other products – mostly related to eye care.  And Allergan is going to be merging with Actavis.

Visit us for your Juvederm consultation: Surgical Artistry in Modesto, CA

www.InjectionArtistry.com 

Calvin Lee, MD

Calvin Lee, MD


 

 

A Thank You Letter from Allergan

This letter was sent out to myself, Dr. Tammy Wu, and my Modesto Plastic Surgery staff.  We had sent out one of the original letters of support for Allergan which was mentioned in this letter.

Allergan manufactures and distributes the Botox, Latisse, and Juvederm which we use very often in our Botox practice in Modesto, CA.

Highlights of this letter from the makers of BOTOX:

  • November 17th, Allergan announced that Actavis will acquire Allergan.
  • Actavis shares the long standing Allergan commitment to innovation.
  • The acquisition will probably close in quarter 2 in 2015.
  • Until then, it is business as usual for Allergan Medical.

Read the rest of the letter:


December 17, 2014


Dear Aesthetic Customers:

I would like to take a moment to thank you for supporting Allergan over many years, and in particular, during the last eight months. Many of you sent letters and emails voicing your support for our company and our priorities. It was your voice that provided the fuel and reinforced the importance of maintaining a culture that continues to bring value to patients and customers.

As you know, on November 17th, we announced that Allergan has entered into a definitive agreement whereby Actavis will acquire Allergan. I am very pleased with this outcome and excited for the next chapter as Actavis is highly committed to the success of the Aesthetic specialty, and to providing new programs to further support the growth of Aesthetics market and your continued success. Importantly, Actavis also shares the long standing Allergan commitment to innovation, and bringing meaningful new products to market.

We expect that the acquisition will close in Q2 2015. Until then, it will remain business as usual for Allergan Medical, with no change to your representative support and continuation of the programs and services that you value, including our Allergan Partner Privileges (APP) program, Brilliant Distinctions, Direct to Consumer Advertising, and Allergan Practice Consulting services.

We know you have choices in the market, and always appreciate your choosing Allergan. We look forward to serving you and your patients during the months ahead and as we combine Allergan with Actavis later in 2015.

Sincerely,

David Pyott


 

Who is Allergan?

Allergan is the Company who makes BOTOX

Allergan is the company who makes BOTOX, Latisse, and Juvederm.  These are three popular products offered at Surgical Artistry.  Latisse is a take-home product, unlike BOTOX and Juvederm which are injected (by Dr. Calvin Lee).

logo_allergan

Allergan cosmetic products

Allergan is also regarded as an ophthalmic (eye) pharmaceutical specialty company

Allergan makes many other pharmaceutical products – many of them are for the eye – conditions such as dry eye.

Eye Products include:

  • Restasis
  • Lumigan
  • Acuvail

How many Billions in sales for Allergan?

  • It is estimated that Allergan has $7 billion in sales in 2014

Advertising spending for Allergan?

  • In 2012, it is estimated that Allergan spent 162 million in advertising.

Allergan Location?

Headquarter is in Irvine, California

Allergan Merger?

Allergan plans to merge with Actavis.  The battle for Allergan started in April 2014 when Valeant made a bid for Allergan.  Actavis plans to pay $66 billion for Allergan.  Brent Saunders is the CEO and president of Actavis.

For more information about Allergan including the CEO’s BLOG.

  • Allergan home page – this is a great place to start learning about Allergan.
  • AllerganViews: The CEO of Allergan has a blog.  “Our Pursuit, Life’s Potential.” That is Allergan’s vision, and every day, around the globe, our more than 11,000 employees work to deliver on this vision.  David Pyott is the current CEO, as of the writing of this blog which is Dec 10, 2014.
  • Allergan on Twitter
  • Allergan also runs the Brilliant Distinctions program.  Click here to log in direction to Brilliant Distinctions.

Links For Physicians and Nurses who inject Botox and perform Breast Augmentation

Visit Surgical Artistry in Modesto, CA

That’s our BOTOX and Plastic Surgical Practice in Modesto, CA

Latisse as an adjunct to BOTOX eye treatments

How to use Latisse – scroll to video

BOTOX around the eyes

BOTOX can be used to accentuate the eyes by lessening the wrinkles around the eyes.  Two areas of FDA approved usage of Botox around the eyes would be for the Glabellar complex and for the crows feet.

What if the eyelashes were accentuated?

Enter Latisse!

Latisse would make the eyes really stand out beautifully by allowing the lashes to grow longer, thicker and darker.  There’s much discussion to Latisse.  Consider visting the official Latisse website.   Or one of our Modesto Latisse webpages.   And there’s more information about us at our Modesto Botox webpage.

Picture from Allergan.  She is not an actual patient of Surgical Artistry's.
Picture from Allergan. She is not an actual patient of Surgical Artistry’s.

If the eyes are windows to the soul.  Eyelashes are some pretty impressive window treatments.

Latisse comes in a 3ML or 5ML kit.  But Latisse kits are usually not sold at your local Hunter Douglas window covering dealers.  You can find them in doctor’s offices, such as ours in Modesto, CA.

Please visit our Botox practice in Modesto, California and we’ll show you some of our own personal tips regarding Latisse.

Here’s a Video regarding applying Latisse – the video is made by Allergan.  Allergan is currently in the process of merging with Actavis.  Valeant apparently is no longer in pursuit.

Credits and Disclaimers:  Latisse picture is not from an actual patient of ours.  Please visit your doctor in person for medical advice and for personalized details regarding Latisse and BOTOX.

Email from Allergan about Actavis 11-19-14

I got this letter below from Allergan on 11-19-14 (today) addressing the merging of Actavis and Allergan.  Allergan wanted to stress that they would continue a high quality of research and development as they had before.  Karla from our office sent me a copy of this email which she got, and she wrote that  “It looks like Allergan will become part of Actavis soon.  This email confirms it and reaffirms their commitment to continuing research and development.”

Here’s the letter from Allergan, the makers of our cherished Botox, Juvederm, and Latisse.  For more information about these products, visit our Modesto Botox and Juvederm page.

 

BTXC-color
The fight over Botox!

 

 

November 19, 2014

To our valued customers:

As announced in a press release earlier this week, we are pleased to share that Actavis and Allergan have entered into a definitive agreement under which Actavis will acquire Allergan in a deal valued at approximately $66 billion. Bringing our two companies together represents a powerful strategic combination, creating a dynamic, top 10 global pharmaceutical company.

We anticipate that the acquisition will close in 2Q 2015. Until then, it will be business as usual, with no impact to our operations or the high quality of service that you have come to expect from Allergan. Once the transaction closes, we will notify you of any relevant changes, and it is our goal to minimize any possible impact this could have on you, your patients, and our employees.

Like us, the Actavis culture is centered around innovation and customer service, and investment in R&D will remain one of the top priorities of the integrated company. The combined company will offer a broad portfolio of products in Eye Care, CNS/Neurosciences, Medical Aesthetics/Dermatology/Plastic Surgery, Gastroenterology, Women’s Health and Urology and Anti-infective therapeutic categories, as well as the highest quality generic, branded-generic and Over-the-Counter products. The combined company will provide an exceptional level of R&D support, with approximately $1.7 billion invested annually in brands, generics and biopharmaceuticals aimed at delivering high quality products to address unmet patient needs.

We want to thank you for your support and to assure you that we remain dedicated to exceeding your expectations and delivering products and services that make a difference to you and your patients. We look forward to sharing more details of our combined products and services in the future. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact your sales representative or visit our websites at actavis.com and allergan.com.

Sincerely,

Brent Saunders, CEO and President, Actavis

David Pyott, Chairman and CEO, Allergan

Allergan Merger / Actavis Takeover

BOTOX wars

The Botox company, Allergan, has consented to be bought by generic pharmaceutical maker, Actavis for $219 a share.  This gets in the way of the hostile takeover attempts led by Valeant Pharmaceuticals and hedge fund man, Bill Ackerman of Pershing Square Capital Management.   But it might be possible for Valeant to out-bid Actavis?

66 Billion? That’s a lot of Botox.

According to the sources, this take-over by Actavis, is worth $66 billion.

botox-bottles-botox-blog-2.jpg
My precious! (picture by Calvin Lee, MD Botox injector in Modesto, CA)

Who is Actavis?

In the past two years, Actavis has purchased Forest Laboratories and Warner Chilcott.   Actavis’ CEO is Brent Saunders.  He used to run Forest Laboratories.  Actavis is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland and has administrative offices in New Jersey.

Who are the losers? Nobody?

Pershing Square Capital Management owns 9.7% of Allergan shares.  Valeant indicated that it may not try to beat Actavis’s offer.  Bill Ackerman and Valeant stand to benefit from the increased share price for Allergan; thus they wouldn’t lose either way.

My thoughts

This is a win-win-win for the three A’s:  Actavis, Allergan, Ackerman.  And it also seems to be a win for Valeant who will get 15% of Ackerman’s profits from the price increase in Allergan’s stock (which he owns nearly 10% of Allergan stock).  I also think it will be a win for Botox injectors and consumers.  Actavis will try to be more efficient with it’s administration of Allergan – with further cost cutting and unification of efforts.  And they have pledged to continue to have research and development within the Allergan family of products.  And most importantly in the end, I think the consumers (and doctors) will benefit.  I feel that the Valeant/Allergan merger (Vallergant – I’ve called it), might have cut too many costs and we’d lose on research/development.  Thus the new merger of Allergan and Actvis – there would be a better balance with continued research and developement.  So it will be a 6 way win-win-win-win-win-win:  Actavis, Allergan, Ackerman, Valeant, doctors/Botox-injectors, and patients.  That’s how you do mergers!   I certainly hope so.  Time will tell, and I hope to be here to talk about it.

 

Sources:

Link to Allergan goes with Actavis instead of Valeant / Ackerman

Ackerman/Valeant walks away from Allergan

Wikipedia article on Actavis