Botulinum Toxin: Non-surgical Cosmetic Procedures

(asked on 12th May 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what existing regulations are in place to prevent the use of botulax during non-surgical aesthetic procedures.


Answered by
Maria Caulfield Portrait
Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
This question was answered on 17th May 2022

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency monitors the safety of all medicines, any emerging new evidence in relation to any illegal use of medicines and will take regulatory action where necessary. Botulax is a brand of botulinum toxin not licensed for use in the United Kingdom. Botulinum toxins are prescription-only medicines and must be prescribed by a registered healthcare professional or medical practitioner. The prescriber may delegate the administration of the medicine to a secondary practitioner who is not required to be a healthcare professional. However, the prescriber retains responsibility for ensuring the treatment is provided safely.

While there have been no specific discussions with the Welsh Government, we are committed to improving the safety of cosmetic procedures. Advice for those considering receiving botulinum toxin injections for cosmetic purposes is available at NHS.UK. This includes ensuring that the chosen practitioner has the skills to perform the procedure safely and recommends asking the practitioner for the name of the product, whether it is licensed and how and where it is made.

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