New injectable fillers may soon be competing in the U.S. market

Boston — Restylane (Medicis), an injectable filler used to smooth lines and wrinkles, may face a market challenge from another filler brand in keeping its second-place status to the substantially more widely used injectable, Botox (Allergan).

According to investment Boston-based banking firm Leerink Swann, Restylane could get strong competition from Juvederm, which will be placed on the market by Inamed if the filler wins approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

Medicis officials say they’re not concerned about the potential new U.S. competition because despite the fact that Restylane is more expensive than Juvederm, Restylane already has competed successfully within Europe and Canada.

Cathay Financial, a financial services firm based in Taiwan, reports that Mentor Corp. also is developing yet another Restylane competitor called Puragen, which Cathay Financial says will be submitted for FDA approval in March.