Ipsen grants US botox rights to Medicis for $194M

French drugmaker Ipsen has granted Aesthetica, a unit of USA-based Medicis, the rights to develop, distribute and commercialize its botulinum toxin product in the USA, Canada and Japan for esthetic use by physicians.

The product, which is commonly referred to as Reloxin in the US esthetic market and Dysport for medical and esthetic markets outside the USA, is not currently approved for use in America. Medicis has paid $90.1 million for the exclusive distribution rights and has agreed to an additional $26.5 million on successful completion of various clinical and regulatory milestones, $75.0 million on the product's approval by the Food and Drug Administration and $2.0 million on regulatory approval of the product in Japan, amounting to a total of $193.6 million. Ipsen will manufacture and provide the product for Medicis for the term of the deal, which extends to September of 2019.