An experimental new drug to prevent migraines appears to begin working in just three to seven days after the first dose, potentially giving sufferers a new tool in fighting off the debilitating headaches.
The drug is currently called TEV-48125 and is part of a new and exciting class of medications being specifically developed to prevent migraines.
The drugs work by blocking CGRP, or calcitonin gene-related peptide, a chemical that causes blood vessel dilation in the brain during migraines.
Studies have already shown the drugs can be effective in preventing migraine attacks. Now, new findings published this week in the journal Neurology suggest that TEV-48125 starts working within a week of the first injection.
The study was funded by Teva Pharmaceuticals, which is the drug company developing the drug. Amgen and Eli Lilly & Co are also developing their own anti-CGRP drugs.
This study focused on 261 people who had been migraine sufferers for an average of 18 years. The volunteers experienced an average of 22 days of headaches every month.
The participants were divided into three groups: 87 received a low dose of the drug once a month for three months; 85 received a high dose for the same time; and 89 people received a placebo shot.
The participants kept an electronic diary to record their headaches.
After one week, the average number of headache hours went down by 2.9 hours for people taking the placebo, 9.1 hours for people taking the low dose of TEV-48125 and 11.4 hours for those taking the high dose.
The higher dose first showed a difference from the placebo after three days, with 3.1 fewer headache hours, compared to an additional 0.4 hours of headaches among those who took the placebo. The lower dose showed a difference from the placebo after seven days, with 7.3 fewer headache hours, compared to 1.6 fewer hours for the placebo.
Close to 2.7 million Canadians have been diagnosed with migraines, or about 8.3 per cent of the population, but Statistics Canada researchers believe those numbers likely underestimate migraine prevalence, since many who complain of daily headaches don’t seek medical help.
The same study found that fewer than half of Canada’s migraine sufferers (42 per cent) reported that they had taken prescription medication for the condition in the past three months.
The author of this latest study, Dr. Marcelo Bigal of Teva Pharmaceuticals, says these new drugs may change that because they may act more quickly.
"Most people who receive preventive medication for chronic migraine stop using them,” he said in a news release, “and one reason for that is the drugs can take a long time to become effective. If these results can be confirmed with larger studies, this could be exciting for people with migraine."
