The Food and Drug Administration has approved the anti-wrinkle injection Botox for use to treat chronic migraine headaches.
The FDA approved the drug for patients who have a history of migraines and who suffer from migraines at least 15 days each month, with the headaches lasting at least four hours.
Allergan, the California company who makes Botox, said the injection can be used as preventative treatment with shots to the head and neck, and can produce results for around three months. The FDA noted that side effects to this treatment could include neck pain and headaches.
Botox, which is made from a purified form of toxin that causes botulism, has been used for years as an FDA-approved wrinkle treatment. The drug’s packaging includes a warning that the botulism toxin could travel away from the injection site and cause severe symptoms like those associated with botulism food poisoning, such as difficulty swallowing an breathing.
The announcement of the new use of the drug made shares of Allergan rise 4.3 percent Friday. A company announcement in August about pending approval of the treatment also helped Allergan’s stock price. Allergan shares are trading at $71.43 on the NYSE stock exchange.
“Friday’s approval of the chronic migraine indication for Botox will, we expect, prove to be a watershed in Allergan’s revenue and earnings growth over the next several years,” said analyst Ben Andrews in a statement.
Analysts predict that Botox, which currently has annual sales of $1.4 billion, could see additional annual sales of at least $600 million from the migraine treatment. The injections are also being looked at as a treatment for an overactive bladder.