Ipsen has shared phase 2 data on its long-acting neurotoxin, reporting an increase in the proportion of people with significant improvements in frown lines 24 weeks after treatment.
The drug, called corabotase, is a recombinant neuroinhibitor. By optimizing the molecule’s structure, Ipsen has tried to achieve a longer duration of activity than bacterial toxins such as AbbVie’s Botox and its own Dysport. The French drugmaker reported a phase 2 win in September, emboldening it to gear up for a pivotal program in glabellar lines, the medical term for frown lines between the eyebrows.
Ipsen used the 2026 Scale Symposium to share the phase 2 data. At Week 24, 60.8% of patients treated with 50 ng of corabotase experienced clinically significant sustained duration of effect, defined as “none” or “mild” line severity as assessed by investigators.
The results for placebo and Dysport were 0.2% and 36.7%, respectively. Allergan, now part of AbbVie, found 26.2% of patients had no or mild glabellar lines about 17 weeks after receiving Botox. Cross-trial comparisons can be unreliable, but the available data support Ipsen’s prediction that corabotase will have longer-lasting effects than bacterial toxins.
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Corabotase’s onset of action was 0.84 days, based on patient-reported data, and 66% of patients treated with the candidate had a statistically significant, two-grade or greater improvement at Week 4. The figures for placebo and Dysport were 0% and 54.3%, respectively. Almost 83% of people treated with 50 ng of corabotase were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the treatment.
Ipsen moved the 50-ng dose of corabotase, previously called IPN10200, into a phase 3 program. The phase 2 study is continuing, with the biotech working to generate proof-of-concept data in two more aesthetic indications, forehead and lateral canthal lines. More data are scheduled for release this year.
Corabotase was the subject of a dispute between Ipsen and Galderma related to the termination of their R&D pact. With a tribunal dismissing Galderma’s claim in January, Ipsen CEO David Loew told investors last month that “we fully own the product.” Ipsen is evaluating all scenarios for its go-to-market strategy for corabotase, Loew said at the time.
