Emergent Health Corp. (EMGN) Announces Botox Cream Patent
“Emergent Health Corp. … announced that the patent under which it has a license to market a painless Botox-type cream—not requiring an injection—has been allowed by the US Patent and Trademark office. The company will seek joint venture opportunities with firms capable of assisting its entry into this cosmetic market.” – Marketwatch
Emergent is a relatively new company in the cosmetic rejuvenation field. It is introducing its third product to be headed to market as the result of clearing a hurdle with the U.S. Patent Office. The license to operate granted as the result of the patent designation allows Emergent to market its BO Cream product as a topical option to BOTOX.
BO Cream will not require injections, as BOTOX does, to lessen the creases between the nose and mouth and around the eyes. BOTOX accomplishes its job of smoothing creased facial skin by relaxing the muscles that pull the face into positions that cause the creasing. These so-called “frown lines” are lessened simply because BOTOX acts as a muscle relaxant - actually, as a muscle paralytic - in order to halt the instinctive tug of the muscles on facial areas.
Emergent’s product will accomplish a similar function through the application of a cream to the outer tissue near the creased areas. What this does is essentially apply an injectible muscle toxin by applying it to outer tissue. The biological methodology of this process is not explained in Emergent’s press release, but the company is confident that the product can compete in an extremely crowded facial rejuvenation market.
One of the drawbacks of BOTOX, Restylane and similar products is the fact that their effectiveness is of limited duration. BOTOX treatments generally have to be renewed six to eight months later in order for the facial smoothing effect to remain viable. The fact that Emergent’s BO Cream can be renewed with a cotton applicator rather than a syringe is going to have significant market appeal if it proves to be as effective as the syringe-delivered versions of botulism toxins.
More permanent facial fillers are coming on the market in Europe and are slowly making their way through the FDA approval process. They are proving to have their own set of problems, as most are in fact a form of implant that is subject to either rejection or subcutaneous movement. If the delivery of BOTOX-like facial rejuvenation can be created with a topical cream, Emergent will have an enormous success with their BO Cream in the cosmetic rejuvenation market.
