Whatever Happened to Levadex?

We’ve been talking about the new migraine drug, Levadex, since 2010. But it’s still not on the market. Will it ever be?

Levadex was still in the news last year, but under a brand new name. Semprana is the new name for Levadex, a new formulation of dihydroergotamine mesylate (DHE). It’s now owned by Allergan, the makers of Botox.

Semprana is an inhaled migraine abortive. It looks especially promising for nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound.

But last summer, Semprana was rejected yet again by the FDA in the United States. That’s the third time. The good news is that the rejection had nothing to do with whether or not Semprana works, or whether or not it’s safe. Instead, the FDA had technical concerns about the manufacturing and functioning of the device.

Semprana remains in Allergan’s pipeline, and is still looking like it could be a big player in the migraine market. But consumers probably won’t be seeing it in the local pharmacy until 2017.