New migraine drugs no better than cheap painkillers: big study

New, dearer migraine medication aren’t any more practical towards the throbbing complications than conventional painkillers, and even carried out worse than an older vary of remedies known as triptans, stated a large world evaluation Thursday.

Migraines are extreme, typically disabling complications which have an effect on at the least one in seven adults globally, based on the World Well being Group. They’re additionally as much as thrice extra frequent in ladies than males.

For many years, low cost and broadly out there painkillers akin to aspirin and ibuprofen have been prescribed for migraines, in addition to the extra highly effective triptans, which change how blood circulates within the mind.

However lately, a brand new era of migraine medication known as gepants has emerged.

This consists of rimegepant, which is bought by US pharma big Pfizer below the model title Vydura, and ubrogepant, bought as Ubrelvy by agency Abbvie.

Migraine medication can signify huge cash for pharmaceutical companies, as proven when Pfizer acquired Biohaven—which developed rimegepant—for greater than $10 billion in 2022.

These new medication have usually been examined towards a placebo.

Nevertheless a brand new meta-analysis, printed within the BMJ journal, introduced collectively 137 earlier randomized, managed trials taking a look at how 17 completely different remedies affected a complete of practically 90,000 folks.

The newer and dearer medication rimegepant and ubrogepant—in addition to one other known as lasmiditan, which might have drowsy unwanted effects—had been about as efficient as paracetamol and anti inflammatory painkillers, the examine stated.

In the meantime triptans—akin to eletriptan, rizatriptan, sumatriptan and zolmitriptan—carried out greatest, the examine stated, regretting that they “are at the moment broadly underused”.

The researchers really helpful docs first prescribe triptans—and for sure sufferers who can not take triptans resulting from coronary heart issues, they really helpful conventional ache killers akin to aspirin and ibuprofen.

The newer gepants medication needs to be thought-about a 3rd choice, the examine concluded.

Research co-author Andrea Cipriani of Oxford College emphasised how necessary it was to correctly deal with the “big drawback” of migraines.

“It is the main explanation for incapacity in younger ladies and likewise is related to excessive private well being care and societal prices,” he instructed a press convention.

© 2024 AFP