Market Snapshot: Migraine Prevention Therapies’ Slow Road To Blockbuster Status

Aimovig, Emgality and Ajovy have been on the market for more than a year, but are still far from blockbusters even though millions of patients are eligible for treatment – and at least one new competitor is coming.

Migraine/ The word migraine included in the notes on the wooden background. — The market for preventative therapies has a new option coming this year. • Source: Shutterstock

The launches in 2018 of three closely watched calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors as preventive therapies and the anticipated launches of three more products against the same target have brought new attention to migraine decades after the launch of triptans – the last big class of drugs to treat the disease’s debilitating headaches and other symptoms. But while the migraine market is large, the first round of CGRP inhibitors have yet to achieve blockbuster status.

Amgen Inc./Novartis AG’s Aimovig (erenumab) targets the CGRP receptor while Eli Lilly & Co.’s Emgality (galcanezumab) and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd

Aimovig, Emgality and Ajovy have shown similar efficacy in clinical trials, cutting the number of headache days that many migraine patients experienced by half or more. (Also see "Response Rates Rule In CGRP Inhibitor Migraine Studies" - Scrip, 12 June, 2017

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