New wrinkle for Botox as activists press for tougher warnings

The advocacy group called Public Citizen has urged the FDA to immediately increase the warnings on Botox injections. The group has decided to petition US regulators to bolster health warnings on Botox, which is used by millions of people every year.

According to Yahoo News, Botox warnings need to be increased because of its adverse reactions, some including death, that has linked to the drug. According to Allergen Inc., a company that produces and sells Botox, or the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, a group of surgeons that use Botox for patients, believe further warnings are not necessary. The group said that the FDA "has not issued any warnings to patients or doctors about the dangers of using the toxin." The botulinum toxin is a natural poison that is found mostly in decomposing food which is 40 million times more powerful than cyanide. Once it's injected, these doses of toxins paralyze the muscle to prevent it from contracting for almost 4-6 months. In the petition, Public Citizen has noted that US authorities had approved the toxin for "a limited number of 'therapeutic' conditions, including uncontrollable neck and shoulder muscle contractions, crossed eyes, spasmodic blinking of the eyes and excessive underarm sweating."