Promising new migraine treatments - latest from American Headache Society
There have been quite a few new treatments presented over the last few days here in Boston.
I’ve already made comment upon MK0974 - telcagepant, Transcranial magnetic stimulation and tezampanel. There were more at today’s poster session:
- Needle-free subcutaneous sumatriptan
- Migralex
- Other Sumatriptan preparations
- Inhaled dihydroergotamine
- Tezampanel 40mg
This is a new delivery method for sumatriptan (Imigran in UK, Imitrex in USA). The device used a pressurised nitrogen gas to make a tiny puncture into the skin and delivers the sumatriptan without needing to use a needle. This doesn’t mean that you do not feel anything, but if you are needle-phobic you could, potentially, deliver the sumatriptan rapidly. In patient tests, there is a strong preference for the nitrogen-pressurised system - called DosePro(TM) - the company are called Zogenix from Emeryville, California.
This is a new combination tablet containing two highly effective anti-migraine treatments - aspirin 1000mg and magnesium oxide. Both are well known and proven in migraine. Magnesium is often forgotten but is a highly effective medicine. Dr Mauskop from the New York Headache Centre has developed the medicine and it should available within a year.
There were papers on other formulations of sumatriptan: a transdermal patch, a low dose subcutaneous injection - links to follow.
Another widely used drug in the USA, but not used much in UK. However, this is another mode of delivery to get high doses in rapidly to try and relieve a migraine attack. The drug has already been proven, so this will be another way to administer it.
I covered this in an earlier post, but the subcutaneous preparation is at least as effective as sumatriptan. There is still more testing to go. Will be a couple of years beefore this one is available on prescription. The excitment is its new mode of action - it prevents kainate-type receptorsd from allowing the potent neurotransmitter glutamate having an effect in the development of migraine pain. It is well known that glutamate is active in migraine pain development.
That’s the last from this years’ AHS meeting. I’ll keep on posting - there was a lot more, but I’m taking a break the next week or so. Use the rss feed to keep updated automatically.
R