Earlier this year at the American Academy of Neurology’s 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, two studies were presented which may be intriguing for those who suffer from migraine headaches.
The studies explored the use of potential drugs to prevent migraine attacks from occurring. In both studies monoclonal antibodies were explored which target the calcitonin gene related peptide CGRP. Researchers have believed that CGRP is useful for migraine but drugs were never developed for it previously.
One of the studies looked at 163 people who suffered from migraine between 5 and 14 days per month. These individuals received either a placebo or a IV dose of a drug ALD403. The individuals were followed for a period of 24 weeks. Those who received ALD403 had an average of 5.6 fewer migraine days per month compared to 4.6 fewer migraine days per month for those who received placebo. A total of 16% of the patients who received ALD403 were migraine free at 12 weeks.
The other study looked at 217 people who suffered from migraine between 4 and 14 days per month. Some individuals received either a placebo or a drug called LY2951742 for a period of 12 weeks. Those who received LY2951742 had an average of 4.2 fewer migraine days per month compared to 3 fewer migraine days per month for those who received placebo. It was noted that those who received the drug did suffer from additional side effects including pain at the injection site and abdominal pain. Even so the researchers considered the drug safe and effective.
It will be interesting to see in the future if any of these drugs are available on the market. Currently, phase II studies have been performed and larger scale studies are needed.
Source: American Academy of Neurology. https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/1271. April 22, 2014.
Great post! It’s another learning method about these new drugs to help prevent migraine in development. This article is very helpful and useful for those who have migraine and suspect to have one. I learned and many great ideas here. Thanks for sharing this.