Botox rival’s longer-lasting wrinkle eraser approved by FDA

It’s bound to turn that frown upside down.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new wrinkle-erasing treatment that could be a serious competitor to Botox, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Revance Therapeutics Inc’s Daxxify — known also as daxibotulinumtoxinA — is a Botox alternative that reportedly keeps skin from sagging for a much longer period of time. And it’s expected to reach $1B in sales by 2030, according to Cowen Inc. analyst Ken Cacciatore.

“It’s a big deal in that it’s longer lasting” than Botox, Dr. Julie Russak, founder and director of NYC’s Russak Dermatology Clinic, told The Post.

While Botox injections keep creases smooth for about four months, Daxxify reportedly lasts 50% longer — or six months.

“It’s also comforting that it’s the type of [treatment] we’ve been using for a very long time, so we know the safety profile…there’s a comfort,” Russak added.

Daffixy — which Russak anticipates being truncated to “Daxxy” in everyday parlance — has a similar chemical makeup to Botox, just with one major breakthrough difference.

Both wrinkle treatments stem from the core ingredient of botulinum type A molecules, but Botox uses two accessory proteins for stabilization whereas Daxxify uses a peptide, explained Russak.

“That’s what makes the absorption stronger and the durability longer,” she said. “It basically goes into the cells a little bit better and binds a little bit stronger.”

Though the Journal reported that makers of Daxxify have not yet disclosed pricing of their new product, it did note that it’s expected to be more expensive. Still, Russak anticipates patients needing to shell out for treatments only about twice a year as opposed to the current average of three to four times annually with Botox.

Currently, Revance is planning on rolling out Daxxify to high-volume injectors in the U.S., chief executive Mark Foley said, adding that the company plans to emphasize the treatment’s longevity.

“We’re going to be introducing a product that we’re not trying to say is everything to everybody. Now, you can choose,” he said.

In a release, he called Daxxify a major breakthrough in “an industry that has remained largely unchanged for over 30 years.”

However, Russak noted that Daxxify’s selling point also has a downside — namely that any potential side effects will stick around longer, too.

It’s possible for the treatment to overrelax muscles in one’s face, according to Russak, leading to droopy eyebrows and eyelids.

“So it’s great when it’s perfect but, on the other hand, when it’s not perfect, it’s still six months [of lasting effects],” Russak said.

In response to the newfound competition, AbbVie — the company behind Botox, which controls 70 percent of the product’s market share — is investing heavily in research and development, consumer advertising and expanding its sales force in both the U.S. and China, according to The Journal.

For Russak, the development of Daxxify is incredibly exciting for the field of dermatology.

“It gives us a choice,” she said. “Before we really didn’t have a choice. It was Botox and that was it.”