Posted by Michael Wonder on 21 May 2018
Botulinum toxin for spasticity: a case for change to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
21 May 2018 - Current permissible use of botulinum toxin in Australia does not match newer understandings of human impairment and functioning.
The bacterium Clostridium botulinum was first identified in 1895 and, in the 1950s, was first injected into a hyperactive muscle, causing flaccid paralysis by blocking the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from motor nerve endings. However, the therapeutic use of botulinum toxin only became common after 1989, when it was approved for use for strabismus, and then in 2001, when it was synthesised and approved for use as a cosmetic treatment in Canada.
In 2017, the idea of paralysing the muscles of the brow and face with a powerful neurotoxin for cosmetic reasons is now widely accepted, or at least conceptually understood, because of frequent reference to the popular procedure in the media.
