Boey: Allergan Aesthetics’ Type E Neurotoxin
Boey (trenibotulinumtoxinE, also called TrenibotE) is a rapid-onset, short-duration botulinum toxin type E injectable from Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company. It temporarily improves moderate-to-severe glabellar lines, the vertical frown lines between the eyebrows, in adults under its regional approvals. It is a separate medicine from Botox Cosmetic, with a different active ingredient and toxin type (AbbVie Canadian approval announcement 🔗).
Boey may start working as early as eight hours, with a peak effect around day seven and a short effect duration of approximately two to three weeks. These are product-specific findings for glabellar lines, not a guarantee of an individual result (EMA Boey product information, section 5.1 🔗).
Boey has Canadian and EU approvals, but is not FDA-approved in the United States. Following the U.S. Complete Response Letter, AbbVie management described a planned resubmission before the end of 2026 in its October 30 earnings call, according to the published AbbVie Q3 2026 call transcript — The Motley Fool 🔗. Overseas authorization does not confer U.S. approval.
How Quickly Does Boey Work, and How Long Does It Last?
Section titled “How Quickly Does Boey Work, and How Long Does It Last?”The EMA product information, section 5.1 🔗, describes onset from eight hours, peak effect around day seven, and recovery generally within two to three weeks. Early onset does not mean the full effect is present at eight hours, and effect duration is not a retreatment schedule.
Allergan Aesthetics positions Boey as an option for suitable people who want a shorter treatment experience before considering a longer-lasting result. This is the company’s product positioning, rather than a separate approved indication or evidence that Boey predicts an individual’s Botox outcome (AbbVie Canadian approval announcement 🔗). EMA describes Boey as intended for occasional use (EMA Boey overview 🔗).
Is Boey FDA-Approved in the United States?
Section titled “Is Boey FDA-Approved in the United States?”Boey is not FDA-approved. On April 23, 2026, AbbVie reported that the FDA had issued a Complete Response Letter (CRL) for the trenibotulinumtoxinE Biologics License Application (BLA). A CRL means the application was not approved in its submitted form. AbbVie said the FDA requested additional manufacturing-process information and did not request additional clinical studies (AbbVie U.S. BLA update 🔗).
In the October 30, 2026 earnings call, management said it anticipated resubmission before year-end and a regulatory decision in mid-2027, according to the published AbbVie Q3 call transcript — The Motley Fool 🔗. These are company expectations, not confirmation of a completed resubmission, an FDA-assigned decision date, or eventual approval. The manufacturing-related reasons for the CRL are also AbbVie’s account of FDA feedback.
The U.S. botulinum toxin regulatory status reference distinguishes application stages from FDA approvals.
How Is Boey Different from Botox Cosmetic?
Section titled “How Is Boey Different from Botox Cosmetic?”Boey and Botox Cosmetic share an Allergan Aesthetics company relationship, but have separate ingredients, clinical programs, labels, and potency units.
| Feature | Boey | Botox Cosmetic |
|---|---|---|
| Active ingredient | TrenibotulinumtoxinE | OnabotulinumtoxinA |
| Toxin type (serotype) | Type E | Type A |
| U.S. regulatory position | CRL followed by resubmission planning | FDA-approved with product-specific aesthetic indications |
| Potency units | Specific to Boey; cannot be converted into Botox units | Specific to Botox Cosmetic; cannot be converted into Boey units |
Sources: EMA Boey product information 🔗, Botox Cosmetic U.S. prescribing information 🔗, and AbbVie U.S. BLA update 🔗.
Boey’s short-duration profile does not make it a lower-dose version of Botox Cosmetic. Shared corporate origin does not extend Botox indications to Boey, and the placebo-controlled efficacy results below do not establish superiority over Botox Cosmetic.
Product Identity and Allergan Aesthetics Relationship
Section titled “Product Identity and Allergan Aesthetics Relationship”| Field | Reference point |
|---|---|
| Brand | Boey |
| Nonproprietary name | TrenibotulinumtoxinE |
| Development-program shorthand | TrenibotE (AbbVie U.S. BLA update 🔗) |
| Toxin type | Botulinum toxin type E |
| Developer and commercial company | Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company (AbbVie European approval announcement 🔗) |
| Canadian authorization holder | AbbVie Corporation (AbbVie Canada product monograph 🔗) |
| EU marketing authorization holder | AbbVie Limited, Ireland (EMA authorization details 🔗) |
Darin J. Messina, Ph.D., AbbVie’s senior vice president of aesthetics research and development, represented the development organization in the July 17 European approval announcement 🔗.
Where Is Boey Approved and Available?
Section titled “Where Is Boey Approved and Available?”| Region | Current reference point | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Health Canada’s innovative-drug register 🔗 records a June 22, 2026 notice of compliance under AbbVie Corporation. | The Canadian monograph 🔗 authorizes temporary improvement of moderate-to-severe glabellar lines associated with corrugator and/or procerus muscle activity in adults. Health Canada’s Drug Product Database entry for Boey, DIN 02569086 🔗, records it as marketed, with an original market date of October 5, 2026. |
| European Union / EEA | EMA records EU authorization on July 15, 2026 🔗, for moderate-to-severe glabellar lines at maximum frown in adults when they have an important psychological impact. | AbbVie’s July 17 announcement describes the decision as applying across the 30 EEA countries. Authorization and local commercial availability are separate. |
| United States | CRL reported April 23, 2026 (AbbVie U.S. BLA update 🔗). | No FDA approval; the U.S. status section above separates the company’s planned resubmission from a completed regulatory milestone. |
EU authorization was issued on July 15, 2026; July 17 was the company announcement date. An authorization date, a news-release date, and a commercial launch date describe different events. Canadian marketed status does not establish availability at every clinic, and EU authorization does not confirm a launch in every country.
Formulation And Units
Section titled “Formulation And Units”The Canadian presentation is a 1,400-unit single-use vial of freeze-dried powder for intramuscular injection after reconstitution. Its listed excipients include histidine, histidine hydrochloride monohydrate, methionine, poloxamer 188, sodium chloride, and trehalose dihydrate. The vial strength is a presentation specification, not a measure of relative strength against another toxin. Boey units are specific to its preparation and assay and cannot be converted into other products’ units. (AbbVie Canada product monograph, sections 3 and 6 🔗)
How Does Boey Work?
Section titled “How Does Boey Work?”Boey reduces release of acetylcholine, the chemical messenger that tells muscles to contract. Injecting it into the muscles responsible for glabellar lines reduces their activity and makes the lines less noticeable (EMA Boey overview 🔗).
Type E cleaves SNAP-25, a protein involved in nerve-signal release, at a different site from type A. This biological distinction does not establish a dose conversion or clinical ranking between serotypes. (EMBO Reports: molecular differences between botulinum toxin serotypes A and E 🔗)
What Did the Glabellar-Line Studies Show?
Section titled “What Did the Glabellar-Line Studies Show?”EMA’s overview summarizes two main placebo-controlled studies involving 725 adults with moderate-to-severe glabellar lines that had a psychological impact. At day seven, investigators rated 72.6% of Boey recipients versus 0.5% of placebo recipients as having no or mild lines with at least a two-grade improvement. These results support efficacy against placebo in that population; they do not establish superiority to an active toxin comparator or a general rule for other type E products (EMA Boey overview 🔗).
The studies are identified as M21-500 and M21-508 in the EMA product information, section 5.1 🔗.
Safety and Product-Specific Precautions
Section titled “Safety and Product-Specific Precautions”Short duration does not remove toxin-related risks. The Canadian monograph includes a serious warning about distant spread of toxin effects, including potentially life-threatening swallowing or breathing difficulties. (AbbVie Canada product monograph, section 3 🔗)
EMA lists eyelid or eyebrow drooping among reported adverse effects and excludes use in people with hypersensitivity to botulinum toxin preparations, certain disorders of muscle activity, or infection or inflammation at the proposed injection site. The applicable regional product information defines the full restrictions and precautions (EMA Boey overview 🔗).