Federal agencies, along with state and local health departments, are currently investigating reports of adverse reactions to injections of counterfeit or mishandled botulinum toxin, more commonly known as Botox, across nine states.
As of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 19 individuals across Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Washington had experienced harmful reactions after receiving botulinum toxin shots from unlicensed or untrained individuals, or in non-healthcare settings.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Credits: CNBC)
The affected individuals, all women between 25 and 59 years old, experienced symptoms such as blurry vision, double vision, drooping eyelids, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, slurred speech, difficulty breathing, and fatigue.
Nine of these individuals required hospitalization, and four were treated with botulism antitoxin due to concerns about the toxin spreading beyond the injection site.
Botulism is a severe illness when the botulinum toxin attacks the body’s nerves. The CDC emphasizes the importance of receiving botulinum toxin injections only from licensed practitioners, as these injections involve doses of the toxin at levels mandated and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
CDC investigating botched Botox shots in 9 states (Credits: NBC New York)
It warns that obtaining such injections from unlicensed sources or in non-health care settings can pose serious health risks. In response to these reports, the CDC announced a multistate investigation into potential counterfeit injections. This investigation aims to identify the source of the counterfeit or mishandled botulinum toxin and prevent further adverse reactions.
