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UK Approves Botox to Help Stroke Patients

Botox manufacturer Allergan have just announced the latest in a long line of approved uses for the product – treating ankle disability in stroke victims.The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have approved the drug to treat cases of ankle disability caused by the lower limb spasticity for Botox to Help Stroke Patients.

Spasticity is one of the most common after-effects of stroke and can have a far-reaching emotional and physical impact on  sufferers. Lack of mobility often leads to a complete lack of independence, which can in turn breed frustration and, in some cases, depression.

This approval represents a major leap forward, offering healthcare professionals an important new treatment option and providing real hope for patients suffering from lower limb spasticity.

To date, Botox to Help Stroke Patients will be the twelfth indication approved for Botox in the UK.

Professor Anthony Ward of the North Staffordshire Rehabilitation Centre had this to say about the new treatment:

“This is one of the most important advances the post stroke spasticity community has seen for years and will hopefully bring additional recognition to this complex and disabling condition.

“Studies show that Botox treatment can significantly improve the muscle tone in stroke survivors with lower limb spasticity. By allowing the ankle to function more normally, this can bring important mobility and physical benefits to patients, even those who have been suffering from this condition for many years.”

There are currently more than a million stroke survivors in the UK, with around 152,000 new cases every year. Many of these will face huge challenges in the aftermath of their stroke.

Some degree of disability is a common consequence of stroke, with 36% of survivors reporting moderate to very severe disabilities, with problems performing everyday tasks such as walking, washing, getting dressed and eating.

Treatment of lower limb spasticity after stroke currently includes physical therapy, drug treatments and, in some cases, surgery.

Joe Korner, director of External Affairs at the Stroke Association, said of the news:

“There can be significant advantages in using Botox to treat people whose movement and walking ability have been affected by stroke. Up to 30% of stroke survivors are living with muscle stiffness, known as post-stroke spasticity, which means they have abnormal tightness in some of their muscles.

“Whilst this treatment might not be suitable for every stroke patient, we encourage stroke survivors living with spasticity in their arms or legs to talk with their GP about management options that might be right for them.”

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Botox’s ever-increasing medicinal repertoire may soon include pain relief for cancer and arthritis sufferers

The positive uses that Botox can have on the body are well known within the medical industry, despite it being most commonly thought of as an anti-ageing cosmetic procedure.

Traditionally (indeed prior to its use as an anti-ageing injectible), it was formulated for and administered to those with eye problems, and has continued to be used in ophthalmology as well as helping to treat other ailments. These include hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), overactive bladders and migraines.

Now though, one university professor has discovered a safe way that botulinum toxin (the full term for Botox) can be used to treat chronic pain, which would be tremendous news for those suffering from pain associated with cancer, arthritis and long-term back pain, for example.

The potential for Botox to be used as pain relief is not in itself a brand new discovery – it works by paralysing nerve endings to stop their usual function, so for example, in the case of wrinkles it freezes their movement and with bladder incontinence it stops the signal to urinate – by the same token it is known that it can suppress pain.

Until now though there was no known way that Botox could be administered without it paralysing the area in question and stopping it from functioning altogether, rather than simply paralysing the pain. But now Professor Bazbek Davle from Sheffield University has discovered a way that it might be used.

He and his research team have discovered that when using part of the botulinum poison and sticking it to extracted poison from the tetanus bug (the ‘friendly’ part of it) it can send signals from the painful area to the spinal chord, thus sending a message to the brain to freeze the pain rather than the area that it is administered to.

So far animal trials have proved positive, with large-scale human trials planned next. If these are successful then the drug could be available on the market within three years. It is not expensive, either – it will cost £1000 annually to produce, meaning that it should be readily available on the NHS. For those who suffer from long-term pain it should be welcome relief, especially as it will also negate the need for daily pill-popping.

Cosmetic Courses offer foundation, advanced and bespoke Botox courses to medical professionals seeking to enter the aesthetic industry. See our list of upcoming courses on our homepage.

 

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