Botox is used in the treatment of distonia.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Botox fatwa!
By *TigerHawk* at 1/24/2006 04:47:00 PM
Malaysian clerical authorities are apparently struggling with the
permissibility of Botox:
The National Fatwa Council is yet to determine whether substances
used in Botox injections, commonly used for cosmetic treatment, are
halal, or acceptable for use by Muslims, the Bernama news agency
reported.
The council's chairman, Shukor Husin, said the organisation was
still awaiting a report on Botulinum toxin type A, commercially
known as Botox. He said the techniques used to inject Botox into the
body also *needed to be scrutinised to see whether they constituted
plastic surgery, which is generally prohibited in Islam*.
"We understand that the substance is used for medical purposes and
based on that, as of today, *we stand by the principle that since it
was for medical use, it is okay to use it*," Dr Shukor said. "What
needs to be looked into is the scope of its use that has expanded
from medical to cosmetic purposes."
The fatwa council is struggling with the same question that has long
bothered American regulators: under our regulatory regime, at least,
once a drug or device is approved for one use, there is nothing to stop
a doctor from prescribing it for other, unapproved uses. In the United
States, Botox was originally approved
<http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1370/is_5_38/ai_n6206108>
for eye muscle disorders and cervical distonia (a neurological disorder
that causes neck and shoulder muscles to contract). The product, which
is the toxin secreted by the bug that causes botulism, relaxes muscles.
Unrelaxed muscles cause wrinkles, so plastic surgeons started using it
"off label" to make their patients look younger
<http://www.awfulplasticsurgery.com/archives/001927.html>. Eventually,
the FDA cleared the drug for the single cosmetic purpose of improving
the appearance of the frown lines between the eyebrows. With that one
narrow cosmetic indication Allergan was free to pitch the drug to
plastic surgeons, who have used it to smooth wrinkles in all sort of places.
Next up: Botox seems to have a huge impact on migraine headaches
<http://www.botoxforum.com/headaches.htm>. Rumor has it that the drug is
on track for approval for that indication within the next couple of
years. Some plastic surgeons will inject it for that "off-label" purpose
now, but the indication will vastly increase the market because the
manufacturer will be able to advertise it for that purpose and will have
a reason to call on physicians who more typically treat patients with
migraines.
Of course, the next question for the fatwa council is this: if a woman
who suffers from migraines gets Botox injections that also happen to
smooth her wrinkles, does that cosmetic byproduct vitiate the original
medical purpose of the procedure?
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Another example of religion getting in the way of medical decisions.
ned
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