FDA approves Botox to treat bladder issues

Federal regulators say that the popular anti-wrinkle treatment Botox can be used to treat those suffering from an overactive bladder. Instead of smoothing wrinkles, however, the drug relaxes the bladder and increases the amount it can hold.

“Today’s approval provides an important additional treatment option for patients with overactive bladder, a condition that affects an estimated 33 million men and women in the United States,” said Dr. Hylton V. Joffe, a top researcher at the agency. 

The procedure is performed using cystoscopy, a procedure that allows a doctor to see the inside of the bladder while Botox is being injected.