Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Jul 27;11(15):4359.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11154359.

Reducing the Burden of Migraine: Safety and Efficacy of CGRP Pathway-Targeted Preventive Treatments

George R Nissan  1 , Richard Kim  2 , Joshua M Cohen  3 , Michael J Seminerio  4 , Lynda J Krasenbaum  3 , Karen Carr  4 , Vincent Martin  5
Affiliations
Review

Reducing the Burden of Migraine: Safety and Efficacy of CGRP Pathway-Targeted Preventive Treatments

George R Nissan et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Migraine is a highly disabling and often chronic neurological disease that affects more than one billion people globally. Preventive migraine treatment is recommended for individuals who have frequent and/or disabling attacks; however, many of the medications used for migraine prevention (e.g., antiepileptics, antidepressants, antihypertensives) were not specifically developed for migraine, and often have limited efficacy or poor tolerability. Four monoclonal antibodies targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) pathway, which is believed to play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of migraine, have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults. All four migraine-specific treatments have demonstrated efficacy based on reductions in monthly days with migraine for patients with both episodic and chronic migraine, including those with comorbidities. They have also demonstrated favorable safety and tolerability profiles. Based on these accounts, CGRP pathway-targeted monoclonal antibodies have the potential to revolutionize preventive treatment for patients with migraine.

Keywords: CGRP; cardiovascular safety; efficacy; migraine; safety and tolerability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

G.M. Nissan has served as a speaker for Amgen Inc., Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly and Company, and Teva Pharmaceuticals. R. Kim has served on the speakers bureau for AbbVie, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly and Company, and Teva Pharmaceuticals and as a site principal investigator for Amgen and Eli Lilly and Company. J.M. Cohen is a former employee of Teva Pharmaceuticals. L.J. Krasenbaum and K. Carr are employees of Teva Pharmaceuticals. M.J. Seminerio is a former employee of Teva Pharmaceuticals. V. Martin has no conflicts of interest to disclose. Medical writing support was funded by Teva Pharmaceuticals (West Chester, PA, USA).

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Goals of migraine preventive treatment [2]. QoL, quality of life.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. GBD 2017 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2018;392:1789–1858. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32279-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. American Headache Society The American Headache Society position statement on integrating new migraine treatments into clinical practice. Headache. 2019;59:1–18. doi: 10.1111/head.13456. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society The international classification of headache disorders, 3rd edition (beta version) Cephalalgia. 2013;33:629–808. doi: 10.1177/0333102413485658. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lipton R.B., Silberstein S.D. Episodic and chronic migraine headache: Breaking down barriers to optimal treatment and prevention. Headache. 2015;55:103–122. doi: 10.1111/head.12505_2. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Buse D.C., Reed M.L., Fanning K.M., Bostic R., Dodick D.W., Schwedt T.J., Munjal S., Singh P., Lipton R.B. Comorbid and co-occurring conditions in migraine and associated risk of increasing headache pain intensity and headache frequency: Results of the migraine in America symptoms and treatment (MAST) study. J. Headache Pain. 2020;21:23. doi: 10.1186/s10194-020-1084-y. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Grants and funding