New migraine results for both Allergan and Novartis

Allergan has announced new head-to-head data from an open label study in chronic migraine demonstrating that Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) had a more favourable tolerability profile than Topamax (topiramate).

Of patients randomised to receive topiramate, 50.7% of patients discontinued treatment due to adverse events, compared to 3.6% of patients randomised to receive onabotulinumtoxinA.

Findings also show a significantly higher number of patients reported at least a 50% reduction in headache frequency when treated with onabotulinumtoxinA, compared to those treated with topiramate (40.0% vs 12.0%).

Meanwhile, Novartis announced new analyses for its AMG 334 (erenumab) for migraine prevention.

Analysis from a pivotal Phase II study shows erenumab reduced monthly migraine days in patients with chronic migraine for whom previous preventive treatments have failed.

In a pre-specified sub-analysis from the study, erenumab showed benefits even in people with chronic migraine who have tried and failed on two or more preventive treatments in the past. In these patients, erenumab cut the average number of migraine days by at least five days and up to a week per month, depending on treatment dose. Furthermore, this group also had three to four times higher odds of having their migraine days cut by 50% or more compared to placebo.

Erenumab is the first and only fully human monoclonal antibody designed to prevent migraine by targeting and blocking the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor, believed to play a critical role in mediating the incapacitating pain of migraine.