Drug companies invade cosmetics' turf.

Forget the pharmacy. Two area drug makers want you to go straight from the dermatologist's office to Sephora and Macy's.

Irvine-based Allergan Inc. and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International of Costa Mesa are pushing cosmetic versions of their prescription skin drugs in a bid to boost sales and profits.

For now, retail products are a small part of sales for Allergan and Valeant. But as for whether there's money to be made by recasting a product for vanity-conscious consumers, look no further than Allergan's Botox.

The wrinkle reducer drug, originally approved for neck spasms, is a key profit center and makes up a third of sales for Allergan, thanks to plastic surgeons using it to smooth over face wrinkles.

Allergan also is working with Elizabeth Arden Inc., the New York-based cosmetics maker, on a consumer version of its anti-oxidant cream Prevage. The cream is set to sell at Elizabeth Arden department store counters in early 2006.

The Prevage to be sold by Elizabeth Arden isn't the same one available from a doctor or pharmacy. The over-the-counter version is set to have half the amount of idebenone, Prevage's main ingredient.

Allergan and Elizabeth Arden also plan to market a non-prescription, professional-strength version called Prevage MD, which is expected to be sold through more than 1,700 doctors. The current Prevage formulation, which is sold through dermatologists without a prescription, costs around $100.

Valeant, too, is bringing a skincare drug out of the doctor's office.

In March, the drug maker signed actress Courteney Cox Arquette of "Friends" fame as its spokeswoman for Kinerase, a line of anti-aging products aimed at women 29 to 45. Up to now, Kinerase only was available through dermatologists and plastic surgeons.

Now it's at Sephora. "I'm a businessman. I'm here to maximize my brands and our company's value," said Wesley Wheeler, Valeant's president of North America.

Cox Arquette, who turns 41 this month, debuted as the face of Kinerase advertising in April. Valeant officials said they expect the campaign to have more influence in the second quarter and beyond.

The Kinerase retail push is another sign of change at Valeant under Chief Executive Timothy Tyson. The company, formerly known as ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc., continues to remake itself after the 2002 ouster of founder Milan Panic.

Investors "recognize we're well along in our strategic plan and in the transformation," said Jeff Misakian, Valeant's director of investor relations.

Tyson, a GlaxoSmithKline PLC veteran, has what analysts call "real-world" pharmaceutical experience.

During their time at what then was Glaxo Wellcome, Wheeler said he and Tyson started the first consumer marketing push for Valtrex, a herpes drug, after meeting with Food and Drug Administration officials.

Some 18 months ago, Valeant launched a pilot consumer push for Kinerase in Los Angeles and New York. For the test, the drug maker hired model Victoria Whitaker to appear in print ads that ran in InStyle, Lucky and Glamour magazines. She also was in cable TV commercials and on billboards in New York and on the Web.

"The point of that was to test the market," Wheeler said. "At that time, we were still thinking about whether we wanted to stay with dermatologists or did we want to branch out and compete with the consumer retail business."

Valeant tested the waters at Rite Aid stores in New York, but Wheeler said Valeant decided a drugstore chain wasn't the best fit for Kinerase, which sells for about $100 for a small bottle.

Valeant isn't forgetting about doctors, according to Wheeler. The company's sales representatives call on about 3,000 dermatologists for Kinerase.

The company is putting up displays featuring Cox Arquette in waiting rooms.