Efficacy of triptans for the treatment of acute migraines: a quantitative comparison based on the dose-effect and time-course characteristics

Long-Term (12-Month) Safety and Tolerability of STS101 (Dihydroergotamine Nasal Powder) in the Acute Treatment of Migraine: Data from the Phase 3 Open-Label ASCEND Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

STS101 is an investigational drug-device combination comprising 5.2 mg dihydroergotamine (DHE) powder (6.0 mg DHE mesylate) in a single-use nasal delivery device for the acute treatment of migraine. The primary objective of the ASCEND trial was to assess long-term safety and tolerability of STS101 in the acute treatment of migraine attacks across 12-18 months, with secondary objectives describing efficacy.

METHODS

ASCEND was an open-label study of STS101 in adults aged 18-65 years with a ≥ 1 year history of migraine with or without aura, with onset before the age of 50 years and 4-12 migraine attacks/month and < 15 headache days/month in each of the 3 months prior to screening. Exclusion criteria included diagnosis of non-migraine headache, history of cerebrovascular disease, and ≥ 2 cardiovascular risk factors. After establishing eligibility, participants could self-administer STS101 5.2 mg as needed for up to 2 doses within 24 h to treat a single migraine attack and up to 12 doses/month. Safety and tolerability evaluations included physical and nasal examinations, vital signs, laboratory tests, and treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) assessments. Participants used an electronic diary to record exploratory efficacy parameters, including intensity of headache pain and associated migraine symptoms (photophobia, phonophobia, and nausea). Participant impression questions were asked at months 3, 6, and 12.

RESULTS

Of the 6610 migraine attacks treated with a total of 8234 STS101 doses in 344 participants, 945/6610 (14.3%) were associated with a TEAE. Events were predominantly mild or moderate in nature and rarely led to premature study discontinuation (15/344 [4.4%] participants). Treatment was associated with rapid onset of freedom from pain (36.6%, 67.1%, and 85.5% of treated attacks 2, 4, and 24 h post-dose, respectively), freedom from most bothersome symptoms (54.3%, 79.6%, and 91.3%), and headache relief (66.5%, 89.1%, and 94.3%). Most participants rated treatment results as good or very good and ease of use as easy or very easy at all time points (months 3, 6, and 12) and indicated they were likely or very likely to use STS101 again.

CONCLUSIONS

The repeated long-term, as-needed use of STS101 was well tolerated, demonstrating a favorable safety profile in the acute treatment of migraine attacks in appropriately indicated adults. Exploratory efficacy evaluations indicated beneficial effects, which warrant further evaluation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov identification NCT04406649.

Rizatriptan benzoate-loaded dissolving microneedle patch for management of acute migraine therapy

In this study, dissolving microneedles (MNs) using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and poly (1-vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (P(VP-co-VA)) as matrix materials were developed for transdermal delivery of rizatriptan benzoate (RB) for acute migraine treatment. In-vitro permeation studies were conducted to assess the feasibility of the as-fabricated dissolving MNs to release RB. Drug skin penetration were tested by Franz diffusion cells, showing an increase of the transdermal flux compared to passive diffusion due to the as-fabricated dissolving MNs having a sufficient mechanical strength to penetrate the skin and form microchannels. The pharmacological study in vivo showed that RB-loaded dissolving MNs significantly alleviated migraine-related response by up-regulating the level of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and down-regulating the levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP). In conclusion, the RB-loaded dissolving MNs have advantages of safety, convenience, and high efficacy over conventional administrations, laying a foundation for the transdermal drug delivery system treatment for acute migraine.

The Role of Step Therapy in the Treatment of Migraine

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review examines recent evidence and applies bioethical principles to evaluate the benefits and risks of using step therapy in the treatment of migraine.

RECENT FINDINGS

With the CGRP mAbs, gepants, and lasmiditan now on the market for up to 5 years, new research, including network meta-analyses and long-term use studies, can evaluate the comparative efficacy, tolerability, and adherence of these medications relative to older acute and preventive medications for the treatment of migraine. Deciding how medications are chosen for patients requires accounting for many factors including sustainability, efficacy, tolerability, and preference. Newer research can help give clarity on the appropriateness of gating certain treatment options behind others.

Rapid Onset and Sustained Efficacy of Lasmiditan Among Japanese Patients with Migraine: Prespecified Analyses of a Randomized Controlled Trial

INTRODUCTION

Rapid onset and sustained efficacy are important for acute migraine treatment. Global phase 3 trials have demonstrated the early onset and sustained efficacy of the 5-HT_1F receptor agonist lasmiditan. In this prespecified analysis of the MONONOFU study, we assessed the onset and sustained efficacy of lasmiditan in Japanese patients with migraine.

METHODS

MONONOFU was a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study conducted in Japan (May 2019-June 2020). Eligible adults with migraine (N = 846; modified intent-to-treat population, N = 682) were randomized 7:3:7:6 to placebo, lasmiditan 50 mg, 100 mg, or 200 mg, taken orally within 4 h of moderate-to-severe migraine onset. Patients recorded headache severity and symptoms predose and 0.5-48 h postdose. Sustained and modified sustained pain freedom were defined as patients who were headache pain-free 2 h postdose and had no pain (sustained pain freedom) or had mild or no pain (modified sustained pain freedom) at 24 or 48 h without rescue/recurrence medications. Efficacy outcomes were analyzed by logistic regression. Patients also recorded the actual time of pain-free and of meaningful pain relief (Kaplan-Meier analysis).

RESULTS

Compared with placebo, significantly more lasmiditan-treated (100 or 200 mg) patients were headache pain-free, had pain relief, were free of their most bothersome symptom, or had total migraine freedom (no headache or migraine-associated symptoms) within 30-60 min. Median time to pain-free was 9.26, 6.88, 2.75, and 2.30 h in placebo, 50-mg, 100-mg, and 200-mg lasmiditan groups, respectively. Significantly greater proportions of patients treated with 100 (19.7-29.5%) or 200 mg (21.1-35.7%) lasmiditan had sustained or modified sustained pain freedom at 24 or 48 h compared with placebo (10.4-15.8%).

CONCLUSION

This prespecified analysis of data from MONONOFU has confirmed that the efficacy of lasmiditan is rapid in onset and sustained in patients with moderate-to-severe migraine in Japan.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03962738).

A systematic review with expert opinion on the role of gepants for the preventive and abortive treatment of migraine

INTRODUCTION

Gepants are small molecules targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) that have been recently introduced and are under additional clinical development as preventive and abortive treatment options for migraine.

AREAS COVERED

After providing a narrative overview of current preventive and acute treatment options for migraine and summarizing the pathophysiology of migraine attack and the role of CGRP, we performed a systematic review, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations, on trials on gepants in preventive and acute treatment of migraine. Studies and results were reviewed and discussed, and expert opinion was presented. We also collected data on relevant ongoing trials.

EXPERT OPINION

Whether direct targeting CGRP pathways within the central nervous system or indirectly modulating them from the peripheral nervous system is more effective and safer in migraine remains still unclear. The available data on the efficacy and safety of gepants suggest they may represent an abortive, and to some extent, preventive treatment option for migraine, in patients who do not respond or have adverse effects to first/second line treatments or at high risk for medication overuse headache; thus opening new therapeutic horizons.

Results of a web-based questionnaire: A gender-based study of migraine with and without aura and possible differences in pain perception and drug effectiveness

Background:

The aim of this work is to analyze reports of migraine attacks collected online in the citizen science project CLUE with respect to gender- and migraine type-specific differences in drug effectiveness and pain perception. Citizen science project data collection opens the possibility to examine these differences based on a large number of individual attacks instead of a simple survey of patients.

Methods:

One thousand three hundred and ninety four participants reported 47,274 migraine attacks via an online platform and smartphone apps. The reports contained information on the acute medications taken, the evaluation of their effect, and information on pain parameters such as pain intensity, origin, and localization. Chi-square tests were used to investigate whether the effect of acute medications and pain parameters differed when collated by gender and migraine type (migraine with and without aura).

Results:

Our participants rated the effectiveness of triptans as significantly better than that of ibuprofen. For triptans, significant differences in effectiveness were found when migraine types were distinguished, but no difference was found between genders. For ibuprofen, there were no differences between migraine types but significant differences between gender groups. Examination of pain parameters reveals differences between groups in pain intensity, pain origin, and pain location. The differences are statistically significant, but the effects are small.

Conclusions:

Despite some methodological limitations, web-based data collection is able to support findings from clinical trials in a real-world setting. Due to the high numbers of participants included and attacks reported, even small differences in medication efficacy and pain parameters between the groups considered can be demonstrated to be statistically significant.

The crystalline forms of nine hydrochloride salts of substituted tryptamines

The crystal structures of the hydrochloride salts of nine substituted tryptamines, namely, 1-methyltryptammonium chloride, C₁₁H₁₅N₂⁺·Cl^-, (1), 2-methyl-1-phenyltryptammonium chloride, C₁₇H₁₉N₂⁺·Cl^-, (2), 5-methoxytryptammonium chloride, C₁₁H₁₅N₂O⁺·Cl^-, (3), 5-bromotryptammonium chloride, C₁₀H₁₂BrN₂⁺·Cl^-, (4), 5-chlorotryptammonium chloride, C₁₀H₁₂ClN₂⁺·Cl^-, (5), 5-fluorotryptammonium chloride, C₁₀H₁₂FN₂⁺·Cl^-, (6), 5-methyltryptammonium chloride, C₁₁H₁₅N₂⁺·Cl^-, (7), 6-fluorotryptammonium chloride, C₁₀H₁₂FN₂⁺·Cl^-, (8), and 7-methyltryptammonium chloride, C₁₁H₁₅N₂⁺·Cl^-, (9), are reported. The seven tryptamines with N-H indoles, (3)-(9), show very similar structures, with N-H...Cl hydrogen-bonding networks forming two-dimensional sheets in the crystals. These sheets are combinations of R₄²(8) and R₄²(18) rings, and C₂¹(4) and C₂¹(9) chains. Substitution at the indole N atom reduces the dimensionality of the hydrogen-bonding network, with compounds (1) and (2) demonstrating one-dimensional chains that are a combination of different rings and parallel chains.

Chronic Migraine: An Update on Diagnosis and Management

Background

Chronic migraine is an under-recognized and under-treated disorder. A greater understanding of the pathophysiology of migraine and transformation to chronic migraine has led to the first targeted treatments for chronic migraine. In this review, we review current approaches to the diagnosis and management of chronic migraine and discuss recent and emerging novel therapies.

Objective

The aim of this study was to provide an update on the diagnosis and management of chronic migraine.

Methods and Material

The PubMed database was searched for relevant articles published on or before October 2020.

Results and Conclusions

Chronic migraine is an under-recognized and under-treated disorder. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate management can lead to a significant improvement in the quality of life with subsequent socioeconomic benefits.