Recent trial data strengthen the role of erenumab as a preventive migraine treatment. They confirm the real and long-term benefits of the CGRP inhibitor in terms of safety and efficacy in patients with episodic and chronic migraine.
Migraine is a highly disabling disease that has a profound and limiting impact on people’s lives – including the time they spend with family and friends or at work. Erenumab (Aimovig®) is the first and only FDA-approved migraine prevention treatment that targets the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor. It is self-administered once a month via the SureClick® auto-injector, requires no starting dose, and is easy to use. Interim results from the TELESCOPE study, conducted in 109 patients in Germany, showed that 80% of erenumab patients reported a reduction in migraine intensity. 92% of sufferers also had fewer attacks, with an average reduction of 8 migraine days per month (MMD). In addition, interim results from the PERISCOPE study showed that 85% of patients taking Aimovig® were able to better manage daily activities. In fact, 83% lost fewer days due to migraines since starting treatment.
Long-term reduction of MMD
Results from a 4.5-year interim analysis of the open-label phase II clinical trial in patients with episodic migraine showed that long-term treatment with erenumab resulted in a sustained reduction in MMD. Patients with episodic migraine who switched from 70 mg to 140 mg and remained at 140 mg after ≥4 years had an average of 5.8 fewer MMD compared with the study baseline (8.7 MMD). In a subanalysis of patients with chronic migraine and acute medication overuse (AMO), long-term treatment reduced MMD by 8.9 days and 10 days, respectively, and by 8.2 and 10.8 days in non-AMO patients. These results support the use of Aimovig® for migraine prevention across the migraine spectrum.
InFo NEUROLOGY & PSYCHIATRY 2020; 18(5): 39.
