Drugs, experts: "Migraine prevention with anti-Cgrp reduces days of disability"

Results of Resolution and Sunrise studies on eptinezumab presented at Ean Congress

"Prevention does not cure, but it reduces the days in which you have to take symptomatic drugs, therefore disability, the intensity of the attack. This improves the quality of life and reduces the progression of the disease". This was stated by Henrik Winther Schytz, consultant in neurology and associate professor at the Danish Headache Center at the Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, first researcher of the Resolution study whose results, presented today in Helsinki during the 11th EAN Congress - European Academy of Neurology, demonstrated the effectiveness of an educational intervention and the use of eptinezumab (an anti-Cgrp) in patients with chronic migraine and Medication-overuse headache (Moh).

"Migraine - continues the expert - can be treated with non-pharmacological approaches, such as lifestyle changes, symptomatic treatments, at the time of the attack, but also with prevention. The problem is that the patient lives in anxiety, in fear that, if they do not take the drug, the migraine will return, this is why an educational approach is needed. In the Resolution study, the placebo gave improvements, but the use of the drug gave clinically significant results in the reduction of migraine days from 11 days without analgesics, compared to 7-8 of the placebo. Moreover, studies show that even the injection of Cgrp causes a migraine attack even in healthy people. The availability of drugs that block this peptide reduces the days and intensity of the symptom, but these drugs are introduced late, when the patient already has the chronic form also induced by drugs such as triptans and other analgesics, for 8-9 days a month, this is the limit".

The results of the pivotal phase 3 Sunrise study, to evaluate the efficacy and safety of eptinezumab compared to placebo in a predominantly Asian population affected by chronic migraine and presented at the congress, also confirm that the monoclonal antibody statistically significantly reduces the mean number of monthly migraine days (Mmn) compared to placebo. In fact, treated patients were 4 times more likely to obtain a reduction of 75% or greater in monthly migraine days in the first 4 weeks, compared to placebo, with improvements observable from the first day and maintained up to the twelfth week.