Rimegepant for Migraine Now Available in Pharmacies: Commercially Insured Individuals May Pay as Little as $0
Rimegepant (Nurotec; Biohaven, New Haven, CT), a newly approved acute migraine treatment, is also now available by prescription in US pharmacies. Rimegepant, which disperses almost instantly in an individual's mouth without the need for water, works by blocking the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor, treating a root cause of migraine. Rimegepant is not indicated for the preventive treatment of migraine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved rimegepant for the acute treatment of migraine in adults on February 27, 2020.
A patient savings rogram for rimegepant is currently available for eligible commercially insured individuals. The copay savings card can be obtained at the www.nurtec.com website as of this afternoon.
BJ Jones, chief commercial officer for migraine and common diseases at Biohaven commented, "We are committed to helping ensure people with migraine have access to the treatments they need and therefore have established a comprehensive best-in-class suite of patient affordability and access programs, including a patient starter kit and a copay savings card which will allow patients with commercial insurance to pay as little as $0 for Nurtec ODT." Jones added, "We are working closely with the advocacy community and physicians to share these resources with their constituents and ensure people with migraine have access to the resources they need."
Jones stated, "At Biohaven, helping those with migraine is personal to us. We understand the widespread and debilitating effects that patients experience. The urgency to provide new treatment options for the millions who live with it each day has underscored our efforts to bring Nurtec to pharmacies quickly." Jones added, "Biohaven is dedicated to minimizing barriers to medication access for people with migraine and has developed a suite of programs to help patients and physicians process access Nurtec."
Treatment with rimegepant is simple— a single dose of 75 mg provides fast pain relief, returns individuals to normal function within one hour, and delivers sustained efficacy that lasts up to 48 hours for many, allowing individuals with migraine to get back to living their lives. Each 8 tablet pack of rimegepant covers treatment of eight migraine attacks with one dose, as needed, up to once daily. Sample packs containing 2 tablets will also be made available to healthcare providers. Individuals with migraine should discuss with their primary care provider or neurologist whether rimegepant is appropriate for them.
Rimegepant is not an opioid or narcotic, does not have addiction potential and is not scheduled as a controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). In the pivotal phase 3 trial, rimegepant was generally well tolerated; the most common adverse reaction was nausea (2%) in patients who received rimegepant compared to 0.4% of patients who received placebo.