Episodic migraine in children and adolescents

Teva presents positive efficacy and safety data of AJOVY® (fremanezumab) for the prevention of episodic migraine in children and adolescents from Phase 3 SPACE trial

  • AJOVY® (fremanezumab) significantly reduced monthly migraine days (MMD) and monthly headache days (MHD) versus placebo over a 12-week period in paediatric patients aged 6-17 years [1]
  • Efficacy consistent with fremanezumab pivotal Phase 3 and Real-World Evidence studies in adults with no new emergent safety signals observed
  • Full data presented as a late breaker at European Headache Congress (EHC) 4-7 December in Rotterdam, Netherlands

4 December 2024: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd presented positive data from its Phase 3 SPACE study evaluating the efficacy and safety of AJOVY® (fremanezumab) for the prevention of episodic migraine in children and adolescent patients aged 6-17 years [1]. The trial showed statistically significant superior efficacy compared to placebo over 12 weeks with a favourable safety profile [1] consistent with that observed in the adult population. 

Migraine is common among children, with an overall estimated prevalence of 7.7 [1]. The prevalence increases from 5% among children aged 5 to 10 years-old to approximately 15% among adolescents [2].  Migraine can cause significant disability in children and adolescents, leading to absence from school, impaired educational performance and missed social activities [2].

This is an important milestone for clinicians and young patients living with episodic migraine who currently have little treatment options available to them. This is the first Phase 3 trial of a CGRP-pathway treatment that has shown statistically superior efficacy with favourable safety and tolerability for the prevention of episodic migraine in children and adolescents.”

Professor Patricia Pozo-Rosich, Headache Unit and Research Group, Head of Section Neurology Department at Vall d’Hebron Hospital and Research Institute, Barcelona, one of the lead investigators

SPACE is a multicentre, double-blind study evaluating the efficacy and safety of fremanezumab in 237 children and adolescents with episodic migraine aged 6-17 years. The paediatric study participants had been diagnosed with migraine for 6 months or more, with a history of less than 14 headache days a month. The trial included subgroup analyses by age (6 -11 years and 12 -17 years) and by sex [1].

Highlights from the SPACE data showed that over 3 months fremanezumab achieved: [1]

  • Significant reduction in monthly migraine days (MMD) vs placebo (-2.5 vs -1.4; p=0.0210)
  • Significant reduction in monthly headache days (MHD) vs placebo (-2.6 vs -1.5; p=0.0172)
  • Significantly higher number of children achieving a 50% response rate vs placebo (47.2% vs 27.0%; p=0.0016)
  • Benefits were similar in both the age subgroups and between boys and girls

Fremanezumab also demonstrated a favourable safety profile, and was well tolerated with no safety signals: [1] 

  • Proportion of children reporting ≥1 adverse events (AEs) was similar between the treatment group vs placebo (55% vs 49%)
  • Proportion of patients with serious adverse events (SAEs) and AEs leading to treatment discontinuation was low at ≤3% and ≤1% respectively

“Over the last 30 years, the incidence of childhood migraine has increased but there has been little innovation in licenced treatments to manage this debilitating condition in children.” said Eric A. Hughes, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President, Global R&D and Chief Medical Officer, Teva Pharmaceuticals. “We’ve already seen the benefits of AJOVYin adultsand the SPACE trial has confirmed that children with episodic migraine can also benefit from AJOVY. This is a significant step forward for the care of migraine in children and adolescents who are having to live with this high burden.”

Teva continues to study the impact of fremanezumab in pediatric patients with chronic migraine and its long-term safety.

References

[1] Hershey, A., et al. Efficacy and Safety of Fremanezumab for the Preventive Treatment of Episodic Migraine in Children and Adolescents: a Phase 3, Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Presented at European Headache Congress (EHC); 4-7 December 2024, Rotterdam. AL026.

[2] Pediatric Migraine, An Update. Greene, Kaitlin. et al; Neurology clinics, Volume 37, Issue 4, 815-833. August 31, 2019.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ncl.2019.07.009

About SPACE

SPACE is a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study comparing the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of subcutaneous administration of fremanezumab versus placebo over a 12 week period for the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in 237 paediatric patients aged 6 to 17 years. 

About AJOVY®

AJOVY® is indicated for prophylaxis of migraine in adults who have at least 4 migraine days per month. AJOVY is available as a 225 mg/1.5 mL single dose injection in a pre-filled syringe or, in some countries, in a pre-filled pen. Two dosing options are available: 225 mg once monthly administered as one subcutaneous injection (monthly dosing), or 675 mg every three months (quarterly dosing), which is administered as three subcutaneous injections. AJOVY can be administered either by a healthcare professional or at home by a patient or caregiver. No starting dose is required to begin treatment.