Naratriptan

Abstract

The new 5-HT1B/1D agonist naratriptan, introduced in many countries in 1997 and 1998 for the acute treatment of migraine, was designed to complement the sumatriptan portfolio of offerings (including the injection, the tablets, the nasal spray, and in some countries, the suppository) by offering patients excellent tolerability and a sustained duration of action. Clinical studies on naratriptan, including more than 4000 patients treating more than 15,000 migraine attacks, show that naratriptan tablets 2.5 mg are distinguished from other 5-HT1B/1D agonists for migraine on the basis of their excellent tolerability profile, which does not differ from that of placebo. In addition to its tolerability, naratriptan tablets 2.5 mg possess a long duration of action with a low incidence of headache recurrence (17-28% in phase II and III clinical trials). With its tolerability profile and long duration of action, naratriptan tablets 2.5 mg may be particularly appropriate as a single-dose alternative to NSAIDs and analgesics, which often are not effective in migraine but are used because of tolerability considerations.