More Positive Results from the CGRP Migraine Treatments

It probable won’t be helpful to report in detail on every single CGRP inhibitor going through trials and coming to the market, but I will focus on one more today, just to point out that the competition is heating up.

CGRP targeting medications are not miracle drugs that will finally cure migraine. They are, however, another option – and a unique direction in treatment. That means that some people who have not been helped by other medications and treatments will have a new and different treatment to try.

Last month another trial was completed for fremanezumab, also known as TEV-48125. Fremanezumab is being developed by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Teva hopes to apply to the FDA for approval later this year, to use with both episodic and chronic migraine.

In this recent trial, the new medication cut down on days with migraine each month, as was reported with galcanezumab. In the past researchers have noted that fremanezumab has helped patients in clinical trials who were not having success with their current medication.

In the race to get to the market in the USA, one step ahead of both fremanezumab and galcanezumab is erenumab. The makers of this drug, Amgen, submitted a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the FDA in May.

But these won’t be the only three in this class of medication, if all goes well. Eptinezumab (formerly ALD403) also continues in clinical trials with positive results so far.

The good news is that each one of these drugs is a little different, and may help different people in different ways. Also, this may open up further migraine research and treatments that work better at targeting the migraine chain-reaction.

A cautionary note at this stage, however. The market-watchers are well aware that these medications mean billions of dollars – yes, billions. We can expect that the prices may be high, and also that the hype may outweigh the actual helpfulness of the new treatments.

But with these cautions in mind, many remain hopeful that many people will be losing fewer days to migraine – and that means more days to be productive, and to enjoy time with friends and family.