The efficacy and safety of BOTOX for the treatment of primary axillary hyperhidrosis were evaluated in two randomized, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. Study 1 included adult patients with persistent primary axillary hyperhidrosis who scored 3 or 4 on a Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale (HDSS) and who produced at least 50 mg of sweat in each axilla at rest over 5 minutes. HDSS is a 4-point scale with 1 = “underarm sweating is never noticeable and never interferes with my daily activities”; to 4 = “underarm sweating is intolerable and always interferes with my daily activities”. A total of 322 patients were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to treatment in both axillae with either 50 Units of BOTOX, 75 Units of BOTOX, or placebo. Patients were evaluated at 4-week intervals. Patients who responded to the first injection were re-injected when they reported a re-increase in HDSS score to 3 or 4 and produced at least 50 mg sweat in each axilla by gravimetric measurement, but no sooner than 8 weeks after the initial injection. 

Study responders were defined as patients who showed at least a 2-grade improvement from baseline value on the HDSS 4 weeks after both of the first two treatment sessions or had a sustained response after their first treatment session and did not receive re-treatment during the study. Spontaneous resting axillary sweat production was assessed by weighing a filter paper held in the axilla over a period of 5 minutes (gravimetric measurement). Sweat production responders were those patients who demonstrated a reduction in axillary sweating from baseline of at least 50% at week 4.

In the three study groups the percentage of patients with baseline HDSS score of 3 ranged from 50% to 54% and from 46% to 50% for a score of 4. The median amount of sweat production (averaged for each axilla) was 102 mg, 123 mg, and 114 mg for the placebo, 50 Units and 75 Units groups respectively.

The percentage of responders based on at least a 2-grade decrease from baseline in HDSS or based on a >50% decrease from baseline in axillary sweat production was greater in both BOTOX groups than in the placebo group (p<0.001), but was not significantly different between the two BOTOX doses (see Table 50).

Duration of response was calculated as the number of days between injection and the date of the first visit at which patients returned to 3 or 4 on the HDSS scale. The median duration of response following the first treatment in BOTOX treated patients with either dose was 201 days. Among those who received a second BOTOX injection, the median duration of response was similar to that observed after the first treatment.

In study 2, 320 adults with bilateral axillary primary hyperhidrosis were randomized to receive either 50 Units of BOTOX (n=242) or placebo (n=78). Treatment responders were defined as subjects showing at least a 50% reduction from baseline in axillary sweating measured by gravimetric measurement at 4 weeks. At week 4 post-injection, the percentages of responders were 91% (219/242) in the BOTOX group and 36% (28/78) in the placebo group, p<0.001. The difference in percentage of responders between BOTOX and placebo was 55% (95% CI=43.3, 65.9).

a Patients who showed at least a 2-grade improvement from baseline value on the HDSS 4 weeks after both of the first two treatment sessions or had a sustained response after their first treatment session and did not receive re-treatment during the study.