Five Botox illness cases in King County may be linked to counterfeit or mishandled Botox

Public health officials in King County now say that there are five cases that appear to be linked to the counterfeit or mishandled Botox that is making people sick across the country.

The FDA is still investigating these cases and has yet to determine whether they are linked or whether these illnesses are the result of Botox side affects that can occur under normal circumstances.

Across the country at least 19 people have become ill after getting injected with either counterfeit or mishandled Botox. At least one case is confirmed to be from Washington State.

More than half of the confirmed cases have required hospitalization.

According to the FDA the Botox products appear to have been obtained from unlicensed sources.

The counterfeit product may be identified by one or more of the following:

• the outer carton and vial contain lot number C3709C3
• the outer carton displays the active ingredient as “Botulinum Toxin Type A” instead of “OnabotulinumtoxinA”
• the outer carton and vial indicates 150-unit doses, which is not a unit made by AbbVie or Allergan
• the outer carton contains language that is not English

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