A newly approved drug, atogepant, may start reducing migraines on the very first day of use, according to a study published on December 23, 2024, in Neurology.
Atogepant is taken as a pill and belongs to a group of medications called CGRP receptor antagonists, which target molecules involved in triggering migraines.
Migraines affect millions of people worldwide and are not just severe headaches. They often involve intense pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and can disrupt daily life.
Many current treatments for preventing migraines take weeks or months to show results, and finding the right dosage for each person can be a long process. Unfortunately, this delay often leads people to stop using these treatments, especially when they experience side effects.
Dr. Richard B. Lipton, a neurologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, emphasized the importance of creating a drug that works both quickly and effectively.
“Many people need a fast-acting solution that can provide relief without the frustration of waiting weeks for improvement or dealing with unpleasant side effects,” he said.
In this study, researchers analyzed data from three clinical trials to see how quickly atogepant could reduce migraines. These trials included different groups of people based on the frequency and severity of their migraines:
- The ADVANCE trial studied people with episodic migraines, which are defined as up to 14 migraine days per month.
- The ELEVATE trial focused on people with episodic migraines who hadn’t responded well to other preventive treatments.
- The PROGRESS trial included people with chronic migraines, where headaches occur at least 15 days per month, with eight or more being migraines.
Participants in the trials were randomly assigned to take either atogepant or a placebo for 12 weeks. The results were promising. On the very first day, fewer people taking atogepant reported having migraines compared to those on a placebo.
For example, in the ADVANCE trial, only 12% of those on the drug had a migraine on the first day, compared to 25% of those taking a placebo.
Across all three trials, people taking atogepant consistently experienced fewer migraine days per week during the first four weeks and throughout the 12-week study.
For those in the ADVANCE and ELEVATE trials, atogepant reduced migraine days by about one day per week, compared to less than half a day for those taking the placebo.
In the PROGRESS trial, people with chronic migraines saw their migraine days decrease by 1.5 days per week, compared to about one day for those on placebo.
Atogepant also improved participants’ ability to carry out daily activities and enhanced their overall quality of life more effectively than the placebo. These benefits address a critical need, as migraines are a leading cause of disability, especially among young women.
Migraines can affect relationships, careers, and even financial stability, making effective and fast-acting treatments essential.
While these findings are encouraging, researchers noted a limitation: most participants were women and white, so the results may not fully represent all populations.
Nonetheless, the study highlights atogepant’s potential as a game-changer for migraine prevention, offering hope to those seeking faster relief.
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The research findings can be found in Neurology.
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