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J&J Enters the Botox Alternative Market

Will acquire Mentor Corp. for $1.1 billion.

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By: TOM BRANNA

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Johnson & Johnson will pay $1.1 billion for Mentor Corp., a Santa Barbara, CA maker of PurTox, a wrinkle remover that competes with Allergan’s Botox product.

Mentor also manufactures
breast implants and other medical devices.

Up to now, Allergan largely has had the wrinkle remover market to itself. But more competitors are on the way. Scottsdale-based Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. and France’s Ipsen SA are awaiting a Food and Drug Administration decision on wrinkle remover Reloxin.

Johnson & Johnson recently received approval for Evolence, an injectable collagen lower-face wrinkle treatment that competes with Allergan’s Juvederm.

Allergan has yearly sales of $4.4 billion. About half of the company’s sales come from wrinkle removers, breast implants and a surgical device to treat obesity.

“The addition of Mentor, a market-leader and one of the most respected companies in the aesthetic space, expands our capacity to provide physicians with products that can restore patients’ appearance, self-esteem and quality of life,” said Alex Gorsky, company group chairman for Johnson & Johnson with responsibility for the Ethicon business worldwide. “Ethicon is a company that is committed to bringing evidence-based medicine and the highest standards of quality to the aesthetic and reconstructive medical device category. Mentor also shares that commitment to science, health and wellness.”

More info: www.jnj.com

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