ASDS Recognizes Member's Work that Led to Development of Kybella
There has been a flood of news media coverage over the past several months introducing consumers to Kybella, the new injectable drug to melt away double-chin fat, and aesthetic physicians continue to be excited about the potential of Kybella in their practices.
The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) recently recognized the work of Adam M. Rotunda, MD, whose research more than a decade ago helped to set in motion Kybella's eventual approval by the FDA earlier this year.
“I am excited for Kybella to become the first agent in a new frontier of injectable medications that promises to shape, contour, and reduce small packets of fat without surgery,” said Dr. Rotunda, a member of the Board of Directors of the ASDS and founder of Newport Skin Cancer Dermatology in Newport Beach, CA. “Just as physicians use injectable fillers to restore volume, Kybella will become an injectable used to reduce volume.”
Dr. Rotunda's involvement traces back to 2003, when he was a dermatology resident at UCLA studying in the lab of Mike S. Kolodney, MD, PhD, then Assistant Professor of Dermatology. The duo performed a series of experiments on a purported fat-dissolving chemical known then by many names: Lipodissolve, mesotherapy, injection lipolysis and phosphatidylcholine/deoxycholate (PC/DC). The two performed multiple studies revealing that deoxycholate (DC) alone has very powerful effects on fat, identifying it as the essential, active ingredient in the PC/DC formulation, contrary to conventional thought that PC was necessary for fat dissolution. Dr. Rotunda said he was not particularly surprised by the revelation of DC's stand-alone effects but was encouraged by the quick and convincing discovery of its profound effects on fat.
After an affirming clinical trial in 2005 investigating DC's effects on benign tumors of fat tissue, Dr. Kolodney presented the finding at a Southern California biotech conference, which caught the attention of the founders of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals (known at the time as Aestherx). The company acquired the rights to the drug, then known as ATX-101. After the long path to FDA approval reached fruition earlier this year, Kybella played a prominent role in Allergan's $2.1 billion acquisition of Kythera this fall.
Save Money in Your Practice Now
Mara Shorr, Partner and VP of Marketing and Business Development at the Best Medical Business Solutions offers practical tips in her new MATV and DermTube.com series. If you're looking for ways to save money in your practice now, she recommends you assess what the technology in your office really offers and make sure your staff is fully trained to maximize everything they can get out of the technology. Utilize your vendors—they can provide free training to your staff. For more, visit modernaesthetics.tv to watch videos from Mara Shorr.
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