A drug called atogepant may help prevent migraines in people who haven't had success with other preventive drugs, according to a preliminary study published by the American Academy of Neurology.
The study, written by Dr. Patricia Pozo-Rosich, suggests that atogepant may provide relief for people with episodic migraines who have not responded to other remedies. Atogepant belongs to a class of drugs called calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists, or CGRP inhibitors. The CGRP protein is responsible for initiating the migraine process, and atogepant works by blocking the receptor for this protein, potentially preventing the onset of migraines, according to the study, published on April 20 at the Academy's annual meeting in Boston.
"These results are exciting, as migraine can be debilitating, and this treatment led to fewer days with migraine for people who had already tried up to four other types of drugs to prevent migraine and either had no improvement or had side effects that outweighed any benefits," Pozo-Rosich of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, told Cision PR Newswire.
The study involved people with episodic migraines, or those who have migraine symptoms up to 14 days a month. In the study, 309 people who had had at least four migraines during the previous month tried at least two classes of preventive drugs without improvement. Another 44% of participants had previously taken three or more classes of preventive drugs without success. By contrast, half of the participants took 60 milligrams of atogepant once a day as a pill and the other half took a placebo.
Participants who took atogepant had, on average, four fewer days with migraines per month during the study. Meanwhile, those taking the placebo had two fewer days of migraines per month.
Some participants taking the drug reported side effects, including 10% of participants reporting constipation and 7% reporting nausea. Placebo participants also reported side effects, including 3% reporting suffering from constipation and 3% with nausea.
Pozo-Rosich added that more research will be needed to test long-term efficacy, as the study was conducted over a three-month period.
