Concomitant Use of Gepants and Fremanezumab Reduced Monthly Migraine Days
A retrospective real-world study showed use of gepants for acute treatment of migraine with concomitant fremanezumab (Ajovy; Teva Pharmaceuticals, Parsippany, NJ) for preventive treatment reduced migraine attack frequency. At initiation of treatment with fremanezumab, the mean MMD was 15.8±7.4. Over a mean 9.4±4.5 months, MMD was reduced by a mean 6.5 MMD, a 41.1% reduction.
“Millions of people suffer from migraine and its debilitating effects and finding the right treatment combination can be challenging. Different treatment approaches can be used synergistically, but given that these are relatively new treatments, real-world data on the concomitant use of Ajovy and gepants is limited,” said Jennifer McVige, MD, MA, attending neurologist, DENT Neurologic Institute in Amherst, NY. “This study provides some of the first evidence that this treatment combination resulted in reductions in monthly migraine days. Continued investigation into this treatment approach is warranted.”
In this retrospective chart review, the electronic medical records of 55 adults treated in a multisite practice were evaluated. Monthly migraine days (MMD) were evaluated at initiation of acute treatment with gepants and again at fremanezumab initiation for migraine prevention, as well as at least once at a later date. Adverse events occurred in 9.1% of these individuals, including 3 injection site reactions, 1 instance of uveitis, and 1 person with nausea.
“The breadth of real-world evidence presented at this year’s AHS meeting across different patient populations and practice settings underscores the value of Ajovy in helping to manage this disabling neurologic disease,” said Denisa Hurtukova, MD, vice president and head of North America Medical Affair for Teva Pharmaceuticals. “As the migraine treatment landscape continues to advance, these data provide important insights about AJOVY in real-world settings and its use as a migraine preventive treatment across a spectrum of patients.”