FDA Approves Inamed’s Gel to Treat Wrinkles

Inamed Corp. of Santa Barbara won Food and Drug Administration approval for Captique, an injectable gel to combat facial wrinkles. The product uses hyaluronic acid, a substance that naturally occurs in skin, to plump out wrinkles.

Inamed’s first-generation hyaluronic gel, Hylaform, was made from ground rooster combs. Captique does not contain animal products. The gels compete with Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp.’s Restylane and are alternatives to collagen, Inamed’s mainstay wrinkle treatment.

Captique will be manufactured by Genzyme Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., and marketed by Inamed. Inamed shares rose $1.58 to $56.95 on Nasdaq.

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-- Denise Gellene