Types of toxins in commercial use, their similarities and differences

Abstract

The clinical application of botulinum toxin currently spans across several medical specialties as new indications continue to be investigated and new products continue to be developed. This chapter discusses similarities and differences among the currently commercially available botulinum toxin products. The mechanism of action of both serotypes, BoNT-A and BoNT-B, is introduced. The clinical indications for each available botulinum toxin product including onabotu-linumtoxinA, abobotulinumtoxinA, incobotulinumtoxinA, and rimabotulinumtox-inB are discussed along with potential adverse effects and the potential of developing immunogenicity. Finally, future products such as daxibotulinumtoxinA and praxi-botulinumtoxinA with potential for further clinical indications are touched upon.