Amgen announced promising results this week from a study of a new drug that could help patients with difficult-to-treat migraines.
The 12-week study included 246 patients who experience four to 14 migraines a month but had not found relief from multiple other medications. According to the company, about 30 percent of the patients reported that their migraine episodes were cut by 50 percent or more. About 14 percent of patients in the study who received a placebo reported the same result.
Aimovig belongs to a new class of treatments that target a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGPR), that plays a role in the development of migraines. But Amgen says that Aimovig is the only mediation that targets the CGPR receptor pathway.
Migraines affect an estimated 13 percent of Americans, but treatments are lacking for the severe headaches and often come with side effects. According to the company, none of the patients in this study halted treatment due to unpleasant side effects.
The FDA said it would issue a final verdict on the drug by May 17.
Read the full Reuters report.