Dysport will give Botox some new competition

Consider it a milestone in the war against wrinkles: Dysport, the first alternative to Botox, is now available in the United States.

Dysport has been used in Europe for years, but most U.S. residents officially got their first taste of it during the past two weeks, when it became widely available to doctors after being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Approval came after five years of clinical trials across the nation.

Like Botox, Dysport contains the muscle-paralyzing botulinum toxin A. But there are some minor differences, according to doctors who participated in the clinical trials. It appears to take effect a day or more sooner than Botox, which works in about four days; appears to last a month or more longer than Botox, which typically wears off in three months; and it might spread slightly into other areas of the face.

It is also cheaper for doctors, who pay about $525 per vial of Botox (a powder reconstituted with saline solution) and about $475 for a similar dose of Dysport, and perhaps cheaper for patients, if doctors pass the savings along.

Botox is made by Allergan Inc. Dysport is marketed in the United States by Medicis, which also makes Restylane and Perlane, fillers that plump creases and create pouty lips.