Dysport is the newest competitor to Botox in the U.S., but has been used in Europe in for several years. There's also 2 other Botox competitors currently being studied for release in the U.S., one made by Mentor and the other by Merz. All of these products seem relatively similar, with no huge differences between any of the products. Competition can only be a good thing for pricing, however, and hopefully that will become evident over the next couple of years.
That being said, the major differences between Dysport and Botox seem to be the following:
1) A faster onset of effects is noted with Dysport in about 30% patients. Whereas Botox may take 3-7 days to take effect, some patients who receive Dysport see effects in a day.
2) Some studies indicate a slightly longer duration of effect, but not all of them. Clinical experience in the U.S. over the next several months will help guide consensus on this.
3) Dysport is slightly cheaper. The cost per bottle to the physician is about 5-10% less.
4) The dosing for Botox and Dysport is different. A Botox unit is not equivalent to a Dysport unit. The converision is approximately 2.5 Dysport units to 1 Botox unit, but there is some variation between the upper and lower face.
Hope this helps! Best of luck!
