We all know what Botox is. But can you name any of the anti-wrinkle injection’s competition? That’s why the maker’s of competing drug Dysport are not only offering rebates to attract new customers, they’re also offering rebates on Botox if you’re unhappy with their product.

“We are so confident that we are literally willing to bet our money that patients will love their Dysport treatment,” said Jonah Shacknai, the chief executive of Medicis, the company behind Dysport.

The company is advertising their product in national magazines and on their site, offering new users a $75 rebate on their first treatment, which would usually cost between $300 and $500. If, a few months later, they decide to try a second treatment of Dysport, they’ll get a second rebate. And if they decide to try Botox instead, they still get a rebate.

Dysport’s rebate strategy, which runs through April 30, is raising some hackles among medical ethics types.

“I’m not fan of turning medicine into a consumer product,” Says University of Minnesota bioethics professor Dr. Carl Elliott. “But we are so far into it already that I don’t see the tide turning back.”

The folks at Medicis, which also handles skin-plumper Restalyne, shrug off the ethics issue by pointing out that these treatments, despite being potentially harmful, aren’t like most other drugs, which are intended to treat physical pain or illness.

Last year, Botox had worldwide sales of around $1.3 billion, so it’s easy to understand why Dysport would want a piece of that pie.

The question for you is — Is this the right way for them to go about gaining market share?

To Take on Botox, Rival Tries Rebate [NY Times]

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