[Botulinum toxin. Development for therapeutic purposes].

This article comprises a historic description of botulinum toxin (BTX) as a therapeutic substance. The first therapeutic application of BTX injections in humans took place in 1979. It was hoped that surgery for strabismus could be avoided with injections to outer ocular muscles. It was however the positive results in the 1990s against focal dystoniae such as blepharospasm, spasmodic torticollis, and hemifacial spasm that led to broader acceptance of the substance beyond the scope of neurology. Since then BTX has been suggested for therapy of more than 50 indications. Approved mass indications were found in neurology for spasticity and cerebral palsy, in dermatology for focal hyperhidrosis, and in cosmetic medicine for treatment of skin wrinkles. The groundwork has been proceeding for some time pertaining to its approval for further uses in pain therapy and urology.