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This week, Ortho Dermatologics notified plastic surgeons using EVOLENCE that marketing and manufacturing of the wrinkle filler would be discontinued, effective immediately.

According to the official notification, the company may “talk to interested parties about the possibility of EVOLENCE® market re-entry under different ownership.”

They also assured physicians that EVOLENCE was, and remains, an “effective option” for wrinkle reduction, with a “favorable safety profile.” The news however, is puzzling when you consider how short the drug’s lifespan was in the United States.

Was EVOLENCE® destined to fail?

An Israeli company called ColBar LifeScience was responsible for development of Evolence, and they had been marketing the drug outside the U.S. since 2004.

When Johnson & Johnson acquired the company and received FDA clearance for Evolence in the summer of 2008, they were optimistic about the filler because of its unique composition of naturally sourced porcine collagen.  Evolence was radically different than the popular hyaluronic acid offerings that dominate the market; it had all the benefits of the old collagen fillers, lasted longer, and required no allergy test.

However, some experts predicted a struggle for the animal-based collagen filler. The Wall Street Journal quoted J&J consultant Kenneth Beer saying, “they couldn’t have picked a worse time [to enter the market.]” Others expressed concern about the drug’s source: “Porcine products historically haven’t done well, and many people prefer lab-grown products,” said analyst Ronny Gal in a 2008 report.

It might be a stretch, but could it be fear of the swine flu and all things porcine that killed Evolence?