Nabota by Daewoong: Korea’s First Botulinum Toxin to Enter the U.S. Market

The Korean Neurotoxin You May Already Know as Jeuveau

Nabota is a botulinum toxin type A product developed by Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a South Korean biopharmaceutical company with more than 30 years of experience in biotechnology. First launched in Korea and distributed across Asia, Nabota made history as the first Asian botulinum toxin to receive approval from the U.S. FDA, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and Health Canada.

In the United States, Nabota is sold under the brand name Jeuveau, marketed by Evolus Inc. It received FDA approval in February 2019, and is currently the only botulinum toxin in the U.S. market approved exclusively for aesthetic use rather than both aesthetic and therapeutic indications.

What Nabota Is

Nabota is a freeze-dried botulinum toxin type A formulation containing 100 units of clostridium botulinum toxin, human serum albumin, and sodium chloride per vial. It is free from preservatives, making it hypoallergenic, and is reconstituted with sterile saline before injection.

It works by temporarily blocking acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction, preventing muscle contraction and smoothing the dynamic wrinkles caused by repetitive facial movement. Results typically appear within 2 days of injection, faster than many competing formulations, with full effect reached by day 10. Duration of effect is generally 6 months or longer, which some studies suggest is slightly longer than some competing products.

Hi-Pure Technology and High Purity

One of Nabota’s defining characteristics is its manufacturing process. Daewoong developed a patented Hi-Pure Technology that achieves a purity level of greater than 98.7%, removing impurities and accessory proteins to a high degree.

Nabota contains more than 98% of the 900 kDa botulinum toxin complex resulting from the patented Hi-Pure technology. WONTECH This high purity is clinically relevant because accessory proteins in lower-purity formulations can theoretically trigger immune recognition over time, potentially leading to neutralizing antibody formation and reduced treatment efficacy with repeated use.

A Biosimilar to Botox

Nabota is the only botulinum toxin in the U.S. market that is a 900 kDa biosimilar to Allergan’s Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA). This means it shares the same molecular weight and complex structure, and clinical dosing protocols are directly transferable from Botox without adjustment. For practitioners already familiar with Botox dosing, Nabota requires no changes in handling or technique.

This biosimilar positioning, combined with its competitive pricing through Evolus’s aesthetic-only commercial model, has made Nabota a popular alternative to Botox among both patients and providers.

Common Aesthetic Applications

Nabota is FDA-approved for the treatment of moderate to severe glabellar lines (frown lines between the brows). In markets outside the U.S. where broader indications are approved, it is also used for forehead lines, crow’s feet, perioral wrinkles, neck bands, hyperhidrosis, and jaw slimming (masseter reduction), consistent with other botulinum toxin type A products.

Large-scale global clinical studies involving more than 2,000 patients demonstrated that more than 67.5% of patients responded with a composite improvement of 2 or more points on the Glabellar Line Scale, confirming the product’s clinical efficacy.

Nabota and the Korean Toxin Market

In its home market, Nabota holds approximately 32% market share among Korean botulinum toxin brands, second only to Botulax by Hugel. Korean practitioners value it particularly for its high purity, fast onset, and natural-looking results that preserve facial expression rather than producing an overly frozen appearance.

Its success in Korea and its status as the first Korean toxin to break into the U.S. market have made it a landmark product in the global expansion of Korean aesthetic medicine.

Safety and Regulatory Status

Nabota holds FDA approval in the U.S. (as Jeuveau), EMA approval in Europe (as Newtox), approval from Health Canada, and MFDS approval in South Korea. It has been evaluated in rigorous multi-center clinical trials across the U.S. and Europe with a strong safety record.

As with all botulinum toxin products, it should only be administered by a licensed medical professional following thorough assessment of patient anatomy, medical history, and treatment goals.