February 8, 2008

The FDA warned today that the popular anti-wrinkle drug Botox has been linked to "dangerous botulism symptoms in some users, cases so bad that a few children given the drugs for muscle spasms have died," the New York Times reports. No deaths are reported in connection with the tiny doses used for cosmetic purposes, although a lone wrinkle patient was apparently hospitalized following her Botox injections.

The announcement is sure to cause furrowed brows throughout the legal department of Botox maker Allergan, Inc. Allergan may be particularly vulnerable because the Vioxx litigation appears to be winding down, freeing-up time in the schedules of some of the nation's most capable pharma litigators.