The FDA reported in early February that Botox and Myobloc, a similar drug, have been linked to deaths in children with cerebral palsy and that they can cause severe side effects even when used for cosmetic purposes. According to the FDA, the drug has never been formally approved to relieve muscle spasms in children with the paralyzing condition even though it has been used for that purpose. Botox and Myobloc are distilled from the botulinum toxin. It blocks nerve impulses to muscles, causing them to relax. The drug is wildly popular among women and men, who use it to smooth out wrinkles. Even in cosmetic applications, which use far less of the drug, side effects have occurred. Public Citizen, an advocacy group, formally petitioned the FDA to strengthen warnings in January about the drugs, “citing 180 cases of patients suffering fluid in the lungs, difficulty swallowing or pneumonia, including 16 deaths.”
