New Drug on Trial Eyed to Offer Immediate Relief From Aggravating Migraine

(Photo : World Health Organization)
Migraine is one of the leading disability in the world.

Doctors confirmed that a new drug to relieve migraine has been showing promising results in a large-scale clinical trial.

According to a study published in the medical journal JAMA, the new drug Ubrogepant with 25mg dosage has provided relief to the 20 percent of the participants within two hours. Thirty-four percent, on the other hand, claimed that bothersome symptoms like light and noise sensitivity have disappeared too. 

Meanwhile, the 50mg dosage gave 21.8 percent and 38.9 percent, respectively. This is a great leap from the placebo, which turned a 14 and 27 percent positive effect, respectively.

This medication could potentially be the long-awaited innovation for acute treatment of migraine, said lead author Dr. Richard B. Lipton.

Out of the one billion people in the world that migraine affects, 37 million of them are American. The American Migraine Foundation reported that one in every four households have a member who suffers from migraine. Women are also three times more likely to suffer from this nervous system disorder.

"Migraine is the second leading cause of disability, and yet we lack new safe, tolerable and effective acute treatments," said Dr. Lipton, who is also the director of the Montefiore Headache Center in New York.

For some people, over-the-counter painkillers like Ibuprofen and Aspirin can treat the symptoms of migraine. But in worse cases, a blood-restricting medication called Triptans is prescribed instead. Unfortunately, it's unsafe for people who are at risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Ubrogepant, on the other hand, could be a game-changer as it works differently from Triptans. It targets the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a protein involved in the transmission of pain. WebMD said that this protein can cause the blood vessels in the lining of the brain to swell. By blocking it, the pain disappears. Since it does not constrict the blood vessels to treat migraines, it is considered a safer option for people at risk of heart conditions.

But here's a drawback: it is not as effective as triptans, said Jefferson Headache Center's director, Dr. Stephen Silberstein. Previous review reported that the response rate of the medication ranges from 40 to 75 percent, which is considerably better than the result of the clinical trial of Ubrogepant, even on a higher dosage.

Despite this, Dr. Silberstein still said that Ubrogepant could still be an option for triptans-intolerant patients.

What is Migraine?

Migraine-related headache is a common nervous system disorder characterized by throbbing, sickening pain on one side of the head. It is often associated with nausea and vomiting, and could last from four hours to three days.

Although they believe that it starts with an irritation of the nerve, the doctors still could not figure out how migraine develops. Migraine is also hereditary.

Common triggers already identified include stress, changes in sleeping patterns and water intake, caffeine, and menstrual period. Consuming too much pain-reliever medication might also worsen it.

The World Health Organization noted that this troublesome disability causes a "massive" financial cost to society, primarily due to lost working hours and reduced productivity. For instance, the United Kingdom suffers loses of at least 25 million days of work and school annually due to absenteeism caused by migraine.