Migraine Prevention With A New Drug Approved By The FDA

The Food and Drug Administration or the FDA in the United States recently approved a new drug for the prevention of migraines. Actually, it is a series of injections that have the ability to prevent migraines. The application is done on a monthly basis.

The name of the drug is Aimovig. However, it is generally called Erenumab,  which is the name of the active ingredient.

What is the big fuss about?

The increasing number of options for treating migraines offers solutions. They help the people who suffer from the painful effects of this condition.

Many people do not understand this. However, it is a terrible situation. You have to lock yourself in a dark, quiet room to endure the excruciating pain that comes with migraines.

Meanwhile, the migraine sufferers have to face the charges of avoiding their obligations because of a ‘simple headache’. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This condition often has an important genetic origin. It actually mainly affects women. By this we mean that it is generally not a result of certain lifestyle habits or stress, like many problems.

Of course, this fact is even more reason to treat it.

How does Aimovig work?

The results of this miraculous drug were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology .

According to the specialist digital journal IFL Science , the main benefit of this medication is actually that it prevents the occurrence of migraines. Fortunately, it has this preventive effect instead of fighting the migraine when it has already occurred.

Scientists have shown that the effect lasts as long as the patients inject it monthly.  You don’t even have to take pills. All you need is a monthly injection of 1 or 2 times 70 milligrams.

This dose blocks the molecules that transmit the migraine signals. After all, it is those signals that cause the intense pain that is characteristic of this ailment.

The side effects and cost

Medical journals state that the side effects of these drugs are very limited. However, one cannot guarantee that the benefits will be the same for all patients.

• In the studies, one third of the treated patients showed remarkable improvements.
• At the same time, only a few patients said that the symptoms had completely stopped.
• Finally, there were also several patients who did not notice any improvement.

Still not available

Unfortunately, it may take a while before this treatment is more widely available.

Amgen is the company that makes the injections. They have announced that the price of each injection is about €650. So it is only available in America to people who are wealthy or have good health insurance.

In the meantime, the European Medicines Agency has also approved this medicine for the prevention of migraine. In the Netherlands it is not yet known whether this medicine will be reimbursed from the basic insurance.

In a statement, the US company also defended the high cost of this product. Their argument was that it will have a very positive impact on patients and healthcare professionals.

We hope it will be more readily available at a lower cost soon.

Other Migraine Prevention Medications

This is of course not the first alternative for the prevention of migraine. There are other methods that the FDA has approved before. Examples include the following medications:

• metisergide
• propanolol
• timolol
• divalproex sodium

However, taking these types of medication can have side effects. So it is fundamental that a skilled doctor prescribes you the most suitable medication and evaluates the results. The doctor can then adjust your dose or stop the medication if necessary.

The number of people with migraine

The symptoms of migraines include:

• nausea
• photosensitivity
• sharp pains in the skull

They affect more than 10% of the European population. What’s even worse is that more than 1% of those people experience migraines at least every three days.

Many of them manage to treat these symptoms with traditional and even homemade remedies. Yet there are also people whose daily lives are severely disrupted by the negative effects of these headaches on their mood.

Here are some facts about this condition:

• It affects 1 in 10 people.
• Usually it appears after the age of 20 years. However, children can also suffer from it.
• There are several types of migraines. They differ depending on the part of the brain affected by the migraine.

• The most severe and intense form is neuralgic migraine.
• The cause of migraines is often genetic. However, the triggering factor can be an internal or external stimulus. It is recommended to keep an overview of the possible causes of the migraine attacks.

We know that millions of people around the world suffer from this condition. So it’s encouraging that we can reduce these numbers, even if it goes step by step. If alternatives to migraine prevention continue to emerge, such as Aimovig, thousands of individuals will be able to lead better lives.