Migraine Treatments and Prevention in the USA
In the run-up to International Migraine Action Day, it was emphasized that the new therapeutic horizon involves preventive migraine treatment of the disease.
Migraine is a condition that affects 14.7% of the population, or one in seven people. Its symptoms are characterized by more intense headaches, accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, sensitivity to light, sounds, or smells, and difficulty concentrating.
Migraine Treatments in the USA
Anderson, who is the Director of the Buenos Aires Neurology Institute (INBA), added: “It’s a disease in which, many days a month, a person may be unable to work, exercise, play with their children, or see friends. They may even be unable to go outside and can only think about lying down in their room. In that context, the arrival of new medications is always good news.”
And he clarified that “one approach does not exclude the other; preventive treatment, which reduces the number of episodes per month, can coexist with acute treatment, which improves how the patient handles each episode.”
The National Administration of Drugs, Food, and Medical Technology (ANMAT) has approved a new medication that is now available in Argentina for the preventive treatment of migraines.
It is called Fremanezumab. This innovative medication is used in adults and, unlike other options, can be administered monthly or quarterly.
This medication can be administered in different dosages on a monthly or quarterly basis. It is a monoclonal antibody that has been shown in various clinical studies to significantly reduce the number of migraine days in people with moderate to severe migraine treatment.
In people with episodic migraine treatment (fewer than 15 episodes per month), 47.7% managed to reduce the number of migraine days per month by half among patients treated with the monthly dose, and 44.4% among those receiving the quarterly dose.
On the other hand, 4 out of 10 patients with chronic migraine treatment (those who suffer more than 15 episodes per month) reduced the number of migraine days per month by 50% with the monthly dose, and 37.6% in the group that received the quarterly dose.
Among participants in Argentina, nearly 9 in 10 (88%) indicated that the disease negatively affects their quality of life and that society does not take it seriously; half (51% and 52%, respectively) indicated that it disrupted their work performance and plans to leave home, and 1 in 3 (36%) reported that it impacted their sex life.
In addition, 4 in 10 (39%) indicated that the disease harmed their family relationships and 42% of those who had children indicated that they considered that their migraine treatment affected their child’s general happiness.
They also expressed that, by limiting their potential, migraines made them feel frustrated (61%), exhausted (54%), angry (49%), worthless (39%), depressed (38%), and sad (37%), among other emotions.
This disease usually manifests during puberty, with peak prevalence between the ages of 25 and 55. It is more common in women, with a ratio of three to one man.
Meanwhile, there are triggers that favor the onset of episodes, such as stressful and anxiety situations, certain smells or perfumes, loud noises and bright lights, alcohol and tobacco, hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, use of birth control pills, intense exercise, changes in sleep patterns, prolonged fasting, and certain foods such as chocolate or hard cheeses.
