An analogue of Botox from South Korea has appeared in Russia under the brand name Novacutan-BTA.

Fiji SM, associated with the former distributor of fillers and revitalizants Aquashine, began selling the South Korean analogue of Botox on the Russian market under the Novacutan-BTA brand. But in this segment, even after the departure of the American Allergan, the manufacturer of one of the most popular drugs in aesthetic medicine, from the Russian Federation, there is high competition, including due to an increase in the production of local botulinum toxins. Products from Asia will not be able to replace European products, market participants are confident. Over the year, sales of, for example, Dysport from the French Ipsen increased by almost 80%.

As Kommersant discovered in the Roszdravnadzor register, Fiji SM introduced into circulation the first batch of the new botulinum toxin Novacutan-BTA, produced by the South Korean Huons Global, in October 2023. Fiji SM confirmed to Kommersant information about the start of sales of the drug. Huons Global supplies botulinum toxin to other countries under the Hutox brand: it is approved in Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Iraq, Bolivia, Georgia and several CIS countries.

Although Novacutan-BTA introduced Fiji SM into circulation, in Russia the drug was registered by the Fiji Beauty Institute, whose structures previously supplied Aquashine fillers and revitalizants from South Korean Caregen to the Russian Federation. And the rights to the trademark “Novakutan-BTA” belong to Medbiosystem. These companies have a lot in common.

The founder of Medbiosystem is Yulia Mironova, the founder of the Fiji Beauty Institute, owned since 2020 by Polina Eremina. This structure organized the traditional “Parade of Clinics” competition together with the chief freelance plastic surgeon of the Ministry of Health and the Moscow Health Department, Natalya Manturova, the wife of the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Denis Manturov. In turn, Fiji SM is owned by Larisa Orlovskaya, the ex-general director of the charitable foundation of the United Metallurgical Company OMK-Participation.

According to RNC Pharma development director Nikolai Bespalov, the volume of botulinum toxins released into circulation in 2022 increased by 28.4%, to 10.6 billion rubles, for January-October 2023 – by 0.8%, to 8.2 billion rubles After the original botulinum toxin “Botox” from the American Allergan left the Russian market after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict, its share was taken by the remaining players. Over the ten months of this year, according to RNC Pharma, the turnover on the Russian market of Dysport from the French Ipsen in monetary terms increased by 55.9% year on year. This drug actually took the position that the manufacturer of Botox previously had, says Nikolai Bespalov.

Russian drugs, including Myotox and Relatox, are produced in sufficient quantities, while with the same Dysport and Xeomin from the German Merz, there may be delays in deliveries due to logistical difficulties, notes the head of the cosmetology department of the distributor BSS -Cosmetology” Anna Katsman. The general director of the Linline clinic chain, Yulia Frangulova, still claims that Ipsen and Merz have established stable supplies over the year.

The segment of drugs for aesthetic medicine is quite saturated, and it will be difficult for Novakutan-BTA, according to Mr. Bespalov, to occupy a significant market share; it is unlikely to exceed 5–10%. According to Anna Katsman, the South Korean analogue in any case will not be able to replace Botox or botulinum toxins from Europe.

There are currently no drugs based on botulinum toxin from South Korea on the Russian market. Hugel’s Botulax was sold in 2022, but was no longer introduced this year. Last year, Medytox registered its drug Kunox in the Russian Federation, but it never entered the market.

Yulia Frangulova emphasizes that botulinum therapy is the most stable and growing segment of the injection cosmetology market, including due to the increase in the target audience from 20 to 30 years old, so there is room for a new product. The chief specialist in dermatovenereology at Medsi, Svetlana Kukushkina, says that the market lacks botulinum toxin preparations with a longer shelf life after the toxin is restored.

Polina Gritsenko