Yes, the lawsuit is real. No, it is not about filler safety.
Written by Injector Rick at BONAVADA Aesthetics in Worthing
The aesthetics industry is rarely short of drama.
This time, however, nobody is arguing about overfilled lips, migrating filler or a celebrity’s suspiciously refreshed jawline.
Two of the world’s biggest aesthetics companies are fighting over something rather less glamorous:
The shape of a syringe.
Yes, really.
Allergan and its parent company AbbVie have filed a lawsuit accusing Galderma of copying the patented appearance of the syringes used for the Juvéderm range of dermal fillers.
Apparently, the latest injectable drama is not inside the syringe.
It is the syringe.
The straightforward answer
On 21 July 2026, Allergan and AbbVie filed a patent-infringement complaint against Galderma Group, Galderma S.A., Galderma Laboratories and Q-Med in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
The case is officially titled Allergan, Inc. et al. v. Galderma Group AG et al., case number 3:26-cv-02420 (Justia, 2026).
Allergan alleges that Galderma’s newly redesigned Restylane syringe is too visually similar to syringe designs protected by five US design patents associated with Juvéderm.
At the time of writing, these are allegations in a newly filed complaint. The court has not decided that Galderma copied anything or infringed any patent.
What is supposedly similar?
The dispute focuses on the overall appearance of features such as:
- the curved finger grips
- the shape of the plunger head
- the contours around the syringe barrel
- and the overall proportions and silhouette
In other words, this is the legal equivalent of:
“Your syringe looks suspiciously like my syringe.”
Galderma announced its next-generation Restylane syringe in February 2026 following approval in the European Union, United States and Canada.
The company said it had been developed with input from more than 70 aesthetics practitioners and featured a cushioned finger grip and thumb rest intended to improve comfort, precision and control (Galderma, 2026).
Allergan’s position is essentially that Galderma’s fresh new ergonomic look is a little too familiar.
Galderma may, of course, have a very different explanation. That has yet to be tested in court.
Can someone really patent the look of a syringe?
Yes.
The patents involved are design patents, rather than patents covering the filler formula or the mechanical operation of the syringe.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office explains that a design patent protects the ornamental appearance of an article, while a utility patent protects how something functions or works (USPTO, 2026).
That means a company can potentially protect details such as shape, configuration and surface appearance, provided the design meets the relevant legal requirements.
One of Allergan’s patents, for example, is formally titled simply:
“Syringe device.”
Sometimes patent law is less glamorous than television would have us believe.
Is this about the filler itself?
No.
This lawsuit does not allege that Restylane copied:
- Juvéderm’s hyaluronic acid formulation
- its cross-linking technology
- its manufacturing process
- its clinical performance
- or its treatment indications
It also has nothing to do with the recent separate lawsuit involving allegations about delayed reactions to certain Juvéderm products.
This case is about the external appearance of the device used to deliver filler.
It is not a product recall, clinical warning or filler-safety investigation.
Patients with Restylane or Juvéderm do not need to panic because two multinational companies are having an argument about finger flanges.
What does Allergan want?
According to reports of the complaint, Allergan is asking the court to stop Galderma from using the allegedly infringing design and is seeking financial remedies, including profits associated with the disputed syringes and enhanced damages for alleged deliberate infringement.
Those are requests made by Allergan.
They have not been awarded, and Galderma has not been found liable.
A complaint represents one side of a legal dispute. Galderma may challenge the allegations, dispute the similarity, question the scope of the patents or argue that aspects of the design are functional rather than ornamental.
That is what the court process is there to determine.
Could Restylane syringes disappear?
It is far too early to say.
The case could eventually result in:
- Galderma successfully defending the design
- a settlement between the companies
- financial compensation
- a modified syringe
- or restrictions affecting the accused design in the United States
Even if Galderma eventually redesigned the external syringe, that would not necessarily change the Restylane filler contained inside it.
US patents also apply within the United States and its territories. There is no current UK prohibition arising from this lawsuit.
What does this mean for patients?
Very little at present.
The dispute may be commercially important to Allergan and Galderma, but it does not change the established risks, benefits or clinical use of either filler range.
The key message is:
Allergan is suing Galderma over the alleged appearance of its new Restylane syringe, not because Restylane filler has suddenly been found unsafe.
That distinction matters because social-media posts about lawsuits can easily make a corporate patent dispute sound like a medical scandal.
Frequently asked questions
Is Allergan really suing Galderma?
Yes. Allergan and AbbVie filed a US patent-infringement complaint on 21 July 2026.
Is the lawsuit about Juvéderm and Restylane filler safety?
No. It concerns the alleged ornamental similarity between their syringe designs.
Has Galderma been found guilty of copying?
No. The case is at an early stage, and the allegations have not been decided by a court.
Will Restylane be withdrawn in the UK?
There is currently no indication that Restylane filler will be withdrawn in the UK because of this US design-patent dispute.
My conclusion
The lawsuit is genuine, but it is not the aesthetic-health scandal that an alarming headline might suggest.
It is a high-value corporate dispute about branding, product identity and whether one syringe creates too similar an overall visual impression to another.
The filler world has officially entered its designer-handbag era.
At BONAVADA Aesthetics in Worthing, I believe it is important to separate genuine patient-safety news from commercial and legal arguments that happen to involve familiar treatment brands.
Because sometimes the story really is only skin deep.
Or, in this case, syringe deep.
Written by Injector Rick at BONAVADA Aesthetics, Worthing.
Because apparently even syringes can be accused of having work done.
References
Galderma (2026) Galderma announces triple approval of new state-of-the-art Restylane syringe in the EU, the US and Canada. Available at:
https://www.galderma.com/news/galderma-announces-triple-approval-new-state-art-restylane-syringe
Accessed: 30 July 2026.
Justia (2026) Allergan, Inc. et al. v. Galderma Group AG et al., Case No. 3:26-cv-02420. Available at:
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/texas/txndce/3%3A2026cv02420/423515
Accessed: 30 July 2026.
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) (2026) Applying for patents: Design patents. Available at:
https://www.uspto.gov/patents/basics/apply
Accessed: 30 July 2026.
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) (2019) US Design Patent D865,949: Syringe device. Available at:
https://patents.google.com/patent/USD865949S1/en
Accessed: 30 July 2026.