An Ounce of Migraine Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure

Jun 1, 2020 by Esteban Kosak

A migraine can be a painful and limiting condition for those who suffer from it and, Aimovig, a new drug represents a new hope for those who suffer from migraines as it has proven to prevent further episodes.

Ten percent of the worldwide population suffers from this condition. In a third of the individuals, an aura (a prodromal phase) can help to predict the onset as they present symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to stimulus as light and sound and allows them to apply timely treatment to prevent the development of the migraine. In most cases, however, the appearance of the migraine is unpredictable as there are too many triggers that can unleash an episode. Usually, the patients don't present any symptoms until the intense pain has already set and cannot be effectively treated.



Aimovig is a new injectable drug that works by blocking the activation and the activity overall of a calcitonin gene associated with migraines as calcitonin has been associated with migraine episodes. Three different trials have demonstrated the efficacy of Aimovig of reducing the episodes offsetting and therefore lessening the number of monthly migraine days by 1 or 2 days with very few or none adverse reactions. This injection can be self-applied and only has to be administered once a month.

"We need new treatments for this painful and often debilitating condition," said Eric Bastings, MD, deputy director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. New prevention drugs for different disorders may represent the future for many treatments.
 

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