People who are uncomfortable with their double chin may soon be able to eliminate the extra roll with more ease once an experimental drug that was designed to get rid of this unsightly problem gets the go signal from U.S. regulators.
The drug, known as ATX-101 could become the go to "cure" among individuals who want to banish pockets of fats around the jaw as this offers an alternative to surgery and dieting.
The experimental drug by Kythera Biopharmaceuticals is a version of deoxycholic acid, a molecule that naturally occurs in the body to help destroy fat.
The California-based biopharmaceutical company said that the drug, which is injected into the skin over a series of treatments that need to be administered not longer than a month apart, will immediately act on the targeted fat cells but will be cleared from the chin fast enough so the surrounding tissues will not be affected.
The company likewise said that fat under the chin may be caused by ageing and genetics and cannot often be addressed by changes in the diet or exercise. Kythera said that although this part of the face is important to many people, it is undertreated.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved the use of the drug but a panel of academics and advisors is set to discuss whether or not the agency should approve this treatment on March. The FDA, however, may not take heed of the recommendation of this panel.
If Kythera's drug is greenlighted, ATX-101 will become the first injection designed to address the fat and loose skin found under the chin to become available in market as there are no other injectable drugs approved to do this.
"There is no FDA-approved injectable drug to reduce fat under the chin. If approved, ATX-101 will be a first-in-class submental contouring injectable drug and may help address this unmet need in facial aesthetics," Kythera said.
In clinical trials involving over 1,600 people, the injection has reduced fat under the chin in 90 percent of the participants over a period of two years. For these trials, ATX-101 was injected between four to six times depending on the volume and amount of fat found under the patient's skin. Observed side effects included pain in the chin, redness, bruising, itching, nodules and burning sensations.
The FDA is set to rule on ATX-101 by May 13 later this year.
