AbbVie’s Ubrelvy (ubrogepant) — which is approved to treat migraines – can also help to prevent them when used before the onset of headache pain, according to a recent study from Neurology journal. The phase 3 PRODROME Trial suggests that Ubrelvy was 73% more effective in preventing a migraine attack than a placebo.
In the trial, 518 patients who have had 2 to 8 migraine headaches per month for at least a year were instructed to take their medicine after receiving warning signals that an attack was on its way. The symptoms in the prodrome stage of migraine include fatigue, dizziness, visual aura, neck pain and sensitivity to light and sound.
In the first round of treatment—which included two migraine episodes over a period of two months—patients received a 100 mg dose of Ubrelvy or placebo. In a second round of testing, patients were provided with the treatment that they did not receive in the initial round.
After 24 hours, 65% of those who received Ubrelvy reported that they were either “not at all limited” or were “a little limited,” compared to 48% of placebo recipients who reported the same. Additionally, within two hours of dosing, patients who had taken Ubrelvy were 73% more likely to report “no disability, able to function,” than those on placebo.
“Based on our findings, treatment with ubrogepant may allow people with migraine who experience early warning signs before a migraine occurs to quickly treat migraine attacks in their earliest stages and go about their daily lives with little discomfort and disruption,”
Richard Lipton, M.D., vice chair of neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y.
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