FDA approves new drug that prevents migraines
suffer from migraine attacks, according to the American Headache Society. Of these, about four million have chronic migraine and suffer headaches for 10 to 14 days a month.
While some people are helped by low cost, over-thecounter drugs such as ibuprofen, others need prescription medications, such as sumatriptan and ergotamine, which constrict the blood California, San Francisco, who is a lead researcher on the drug. “This will change migraine treatment for those who don’t respond to conventional treatments.”
Goadsby’s team found that the drug reduced the average number of monthly migraine headaches by more than 50 percent for nearly a third of study participants. After three months, patients treated with side effects, but the scientists noted that more research will needed to investigate if the benefits continue.
Malden, Massachusetts native Denise Desjardins, 58, coped with migraine headaches for more than 10 years, particularly around her menstrual cycle.
“I would land in bed for two to three days, four to five times a year,” said Desjardins.
“These were in-your-bed, nomatter-what headaches.”
Her migraines became a daily misery after a bilateral mastectomy following a diagnosis of breast cancer. She was put on Imitrex, a popular migraine drug that helps to quiet overactive pain nerves in the brain, but it didn’t help.
For about four years, Desjardins has been taking an erenumab injection once a month, without any side effects, as part of the study.
“I don’t even think I get migraines anymore,” said Desjardins.
Dr. Dario Zagar, president of Associated Neurologists of Southern Connecticut, said, “I think having a treatment that is specifically invented to treat a disease that affects millions of people, makes this a big game changer.”
Because other migraine medications were not developed for headache, their side effects limited how well patients could tolerate them.
“I think someone who gets migraines, will tell you they would do just about anything to reduce how frequently they’re getting them — and if you told someone who was getting migraines two or three times a week that they would only get one (a week) or possibly none at all — they would be very happy,” said Zagar.