Is Qwo still available? Read the FDA listing behind old cellulite offers

Qwo is listed as discontinued in the FDA Purple Book. Endo announced in December 2022 that it was ceasing production and sale. The product’s original FDA approval for moderate to severe cellulite in the buttocks of adult women is a separate record. An old menu or label does not establish that a practice can currently supply Qwo.¹²³

Approval, marketing status and supply are three records

The original label identifies Qwo as collagenase clostridium histolyticum-aaes and describes a particular cellulite use. It does not cover other collagenase products, all body areas or other treatments marketed for skin texture. An old FDA label can still be useful when verifying a past treatment. It is not a current inventory list.¹²

The Purple Book shows the product’s marketing status as discontinued for both listed presentations. That status and the manufacturer’s 2022 announcement support a statement about commercial discontinuation. They do not establish that the FDA revoked the original license or ordered a recall. The company cited market concerns about bruising and potential prolonged skin discoloration. Its contemporaneous comments about then-existing stock describe that point in time; they are not evidence of supply today.¹³

Use an old menu as a question, not a quote

Ask the practice whether the page describes a current service or an older one. If the practice proposes another treatment, have it name the exact drug or device and the result it intends to measure. A clinician might still use “cellulite treatment” to describe several options, but the approval record for Qwo cannot transfer to a device, another injectable or a treatment that works on a different feature.¹²

A replacement service needs its own explanation

An office may have updated its treatment options without updating a page. Ask whether the old brand is being used as a general description or whether the page actually refers to Qwo. If the office proposes something else, have it describe what that option is meant to change: individual dimples, a wider area of texture or another feature. A current device clearance, drug label or documented consultation is more useful than a claim that a different treatment is “the new Qwo.” The FDA label is specific enough to show what is and is not being compared.¹²

If you are reviewing a previous treatment, ask for the product name as entered in the record rather than trying to reconstruct it from a marketing page. The original label may still be relevant to that past appointment even though the current Purple Book entry says discontinued.¹²

The cellulite comparison guide explains why the mechanism and the observed outcome matter. When browsing body contouring practices, use a listing to start that conversation, not to infer that a discontinued product is stocked. If the question is about a change after a past procedure, ask the original office for the treatment record and share it with the clinician evaluating the change. A product’s current marketing status does not identify what was used at an earlier visit.¹²³