Migraine pill rejection is a headache for sufferers
THE first new migraine drug for 20 years is to be rejected for use on the British National Health Service in a blow to half-a-million sufferers.
A monthly injection of the drug prevents nearly half of migraine attacks for people who have few other treatment options, major trials have shown.
The treatment, known as erenumab and developed by NHS-funded UK scientists over the past three decades, has been available privately since September at the cost of £386 (R6 846) a month.
Patients say it is life-changing, halting the debilitating headaches and nausea that blights their lives. But a draft decision issued by drug watchdog, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), recommends it be rejected for use on the NHS.
Experts said the news was “devastating” for patients. NICE officials admitted erenumab was a “promising” treatment which had been shown to be “clinically effective”.
But they said the company behind the drug, pharmaceutical giant Novartis, had not provided evidence that it was any better than Botox, commonly used by desperate migraine sufferers.
Because of this gap in the evidence, officials believe the high price of the drug means it cannot be shown to be cost-effective.
Novartis said Botox required up to 40 injections into the head and neck by a trained specialist in a clinic.
Erenumab, in comparison, is self-administered into the thigh or belly with an injection pen.
More than 8 million Britons – three-quarters of them women – suffer migraine attacks, which involve dizziness, nausea and headaches. Attacks can last anything from four to 72 hours.
The problem affects more people than diabetes, asthma and epilepsy combined and is the sixth most common cause of disability in the world.
Yet, until now, there has been no treatment specifically designed to prevent the problem.
Last July, erenumab, sold under the brand name Aimovig, was given a European medical licence for patients who suffer migraines on at least four days a month and who have previously tried three types of oral treatment.
If it is approved by NICE, it would mean about 500 000 people in Britain would be expected to benefit, although this could rise if the thresholds were lowered in the future.
Wendy Thomas, chief executive of the Migraine Trust, said: “This is extremely disappointing, and devastating for people whose lives are blighted by migraine.
“It is terrible that people with migraine have had to wait so long for their own treatment, the first medication dedicated to treating migraine.
“Now, after proving effective to many, it is not accessible to those who can’t afford to purchase it privately.”
Dr David Bloomfield, chief executive of the National Migraine Centre in London, said: “We know that many sufferers are waiting anxiously for Aimovig to be made available on the NHS. We are therefore disappointed at the outcome of the draft guidance. We hope that NICE and Novartis are able to resolve the current impasse.”
NICE said it would work with Novartis to “ensure that they are given every opportunity” to address the concerns before a final decision is made later this year.