Abstract
This article is presented as a companion to the American Academy of Neurology guideline update on the use of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) for the treatment of blepharospasm, cervical dystonia, adult spasticity, and headache. Whereas the guideline update provides clarity on the efficacy of different BoNT-branded preparations for the 4 listed indications, this companion piece identifies ambiguities in the evidence for efficacy among various brand names for a given clinical indication, their dosing equivalencies, as well as different clinical indications. This article provides guidance and background information to reduce obstacles for third party payment, especially when uncertainties exist and levels of evidence are lower.
Footnotes
Funding information and disclosures are provided at the end of the article. Full disclosure form information provided by the authors is available with the full text of this article at Neurology.org/cp.
Approved by the Payment Policy Subcommittee on December 14, 2014; by the Medical Economics and Management Committee on March 1, 2016; and by the AAN Board of Directors on April 7, 2016.
- Received June 16, 2015.
- Accepted September 10, 2015.
- © 2016 American Academy of Neurology
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