ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION The Dysport formulation of botulinum toxin type A (abobotulinumtoxinA) was the fi rst preparation of an A-type toxin to be licensed and used in the European Union (EU). The fi rst studies documenting the clinical effi cacy and safety of the drug use were reported for blepharospasm in 1985, prior to the product being offi cially licensed (1). Dysport was fi rst licensed for the treatment of blepharospasm in 1991 (Ipsen, Slough, UK). In 1996, a prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled trial confi rmed the clinical experience that Dysport was more effective than trihexyphenidyl in the treatment of cervical dystonia (2) and market authorization in the EU was subsequently extended to other indications including cervical dystonia, hemifacial spasm, and upper limb focal spasticity.
