The History of Kybella

Kybella is the only FDA-approved injectable that diminishes the appearance of a double chin. This treatment is growing in popularity, which is no surprise since results are often permanent. Read on to learn more about the history of this treatment, as explained by Dr. Jonathan Hall himself.

The history of Kybella starts with LipoDissolve, a cosmetic procedure that has been used to eliminate unwanted fat.  It has also been called injection lipolysis, lipozap, lipotherapy, and mesotherapy. The drugs commonly used with this procedure are phophatidylcholine and deoxycholate (PC/DC). Other ingredients are also used, such as vitamins, minerals and herbal extracts.

The FDA then sent warning letters out in April of 2010 to the places and companies involved to state that these injections had not been proven safe and effective. A dermatology resident, Dr. Adam Rotunda and his professor at the time, Dr. Mike Kolodney, decided to study the purported fat-dissolving chemicals.

Rotunda’s involvement traces back to 2003, when he was a dermatology resident at UCLA studying in the lab of Mike S. Kolodney, M.D., Ph.D., then Assistant Professor of Dermatology. They decided to study the different ingredients of the mesotherapy mixtures.

The two performed multiple studies revealing that deoxycholate (DC) alone has very powerful effects on fat, identifying it as the essential, active ingredient in the PC/DC formulation, contrary to conventional thought that PC was necessary for fat dissolution

After an affirming clinical trial in 2005 investigating DC’s effects on lipomas (benign tumors of fat tissue), Kolodney presented the finding at a Southern California biotech conference, which caught the attention of the founders of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals (known at the time as Aestherx). The company acquired the rights to the drug, then known as ATX-101. After funding and performing multiple studies, FDA approval was granted in April of 2015. Allergan, the makers of BOTOX, purchased Kythera in October of 2015.

I first heard about ATX 101, a patented formulation of deoxycholic acid used in Kybella, at our national American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons meeting in May of 2012 as it was starting early phase trials in the U.S.

If you are located in the Boston area and are interested in Kybella, contact us today to schedule a consultation.