Public Citizen (a large non-profit public interest organization that was founded by Ralph Nader in 1971) today issued a press release about the risks of Botox.

They ask that the FDA increase their warnings and directly warn patients and doctors about the use of botulinum toxin – available as Botox and Myobloc – because of serious adverse reactions, including deaths, linked to the drug. They have filed a petition with the FDA.

They say that the toxin that blocks nerve impulses to certain muscles "has in some cases spread to other parts of the body with serious consequences, such as paralysis of respiratory muscles and difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), the latter possibly leading to food or liquids entering the respiratory tract and lungs, causing aspiration pneumonia."

Their research of the FDA data found that makers of the drug have reported 180 U.S. cases of people developing these sometimes life-threatening conditions after receiving injections, including 16 deaths. This data comes from voluntary reports, which have been estimated to account for only 10 percent of actual cases.

See their press release and full report at Stricter Warnings Needed for Botox.