New injection which will dissolve your double-chin fat is approved in the US

A new injection designed to melt away double-chin fat could soon be on the way to the UK. 

The drug, which is called Kybella, is aimed at 'adults with moderate-to-severe fat below the chin, known as submental fat'.

It has just been approved for use in the US by the country's Food and Drug Administration and Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, the company that invented it, is now hoping to market the drug in other countries. 

Food and Drug Administration released a statement yesterday detailing the effects of the new drug. 

It said: 'Kybella is administered as an injection into the fat tissue in the submental area. 

'Patients may receive up to 50 injections in a single treatment, with up to six single treatments administered no less than one month apart.

'Kybella is being provided in single patient use vials and should not be diluted or mixed with any other compounds.'

It's the first approved drug for Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, which is based in California.

The drug is a synthetic form of deoxycholic acid, a chemical the FDA said is naturally produced by the body and helps it to absorb fats. It destroys fat cells by breaking down the cell membrane.

While the agency confirmed that patients will be able to have up to 50 injections in just one single sitting, it stressed that treatments should be at least one month apart and patients should get no more than six.

Kythera plans to start selling Kybella in the second half of 2015, and said in regulatory filings that it thinks the injection could top $500 million (£324 million) in annual sales.

The company said deoxycholic acid is a safe ingredient found in several other approved drugs. 

It has already filed for marketing approval in Australia, Canada and Switzerland and wants to market the drug in other countries.

In total, consumers are estimated to spend more than a billion pounds on treatments like botox and fillers every year in an effort to eliminate the signs of ageing, with the market constantly growing. 

Kythera is hoping that these consumers will also be interested in having a Kybella injection to eliminate fat under their chins. 

But while the drug can be used for removing fat in the chin area, it has not been approved for injections in any other part of the body.   

According to the FDA, the most common side effects of the drug included swelling, bruising, pain, numbness, redness and hardness in the treatment area, while more serious side effects included trouble swallowing and nerve injury that can cause an uneven smile or muscle weakness.

An FDA advisory panel recommended approving Kybella on March 9.

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