Migraine patients often suffer a long time before docs zero in on the best dosage for drugs designed to prevent their terrible symptoms.

But a recently approved daily migraine pill called Qulipta (atogepant) appears to be effective from day one in many patients, clinical trial data shows.

Patients taking Qulipta had a 37% to 61% lower risk for experiencing migraine from the very first day they started taking the drug, according to a new report in the journal Neurology.

“With many current drugs to prevent migraine, it takes time to find the right dosage for the individual and it can take weeks or even months for it to be most effective,” lead researcher Dr. Richard Lipton, vice chair of neurology with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, said in a news release.

“Some people give up and stop taking the drugs before they reach this point. Plus, many people experience side effects with current treatments. Developing a drug that works both effectively and quickly is critical,” Lipton continued.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Qulipta in Sept. 2021. It works by blocking calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a protein released by the brain’s nerve cells during a migraine attack.

For this new study, researchers analyzed results from three prior clinical trials for atogepant to see how quickly patients tended to get relief from the drug.

Two of the trials, ADVANCE and PROGRESS, tested the drug in patients with episodic or chronic migraine, respectively. Episodic migraine involves 14 or fewer attack days per month, while chronic migraine involves 15 or more.

The third trial, ELEVATE, tested atogepant in people with episodic migraine who hadn’t been helped by other migraine medicines, such as triptans.

Results from the three trials showed:

• A 61% lower risk of migraine on the first day of ADVANCE, with 12% of those taking the drug having symptoms versus 25% of those assigned a placebo.

• A 47% lower risk on the first day of ELEVATE, with 15% of those taking atogepant versus 26% of those on placebo experiencing migraine.

• A 37% lower risk on the first day of PROGRESS, with migraine symptoms occurring in 51% of atogepant patients and 61% of placebo patients.

Atogepant patients also showed less daily impairment from migraine and overall better quality of life, compared to people taking placebo, results show.

“Migraine is the second-leading cause of disability in the overall population and the leading cause of disability in young women, with people reporting negative effects on their relationships, parenting, career and finances,” Lipton said. 

“Having a treatment that can act quickly and effectively addresses a key need,” Lipton added.

This new evidence review was funded by AbbVie, the maker of Qulipta.

Qulipta and other CGRP-blocking drugs tend to be much more expensive than older migraine drugs, according to the Association of Migraine Disorders.

A 30-day supply of Qulipta costs about $1,160 without insurance or discounts, according to Drugs.com.

By comparison, generic triptans can cost as low as $12 a month.

More information

The Association of Migraine Disorders has more about migraine drugs that target CGRP.

SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology, news release, Dec. 23, 2024

Source: HealthDay