By July, a drug for the prevention of episodic and chronic migraine, monthly subcutaneous administration, with high efficacy and rapid response (first effects in a few weeks) will be available from the National Health Service even in "difficult" patients, on whom other therapies have failed.
Developed by Lilly, the drug is called "Galcanezumab" and allows you to halve the attacks. This is what was disclosed in a meeting dedicated to the disease, the third most frequent in the world, with a billion people affected and a worldwide prevalence of 14%, explains Gioacchino Tedeschi, president of the Italian Society of Neurology; in Italy 9% of men and 18% of women suffer from it and only 10% of patients are adequately treated. It is no coincidence that disease-related disability, he continues, is very high, (according to the WHO, migraine is at 2 / o of all diseases that cause disability) and serious disability affects 61% of cases. Chronic migraine affects 2.5 to 4% of the population; finally, stresses Tedeschi, with the new law on chronic headaches dignity is given to the disease, which has a very strong impact on the quality of life, relationships and productivity for the patient and which costs 111 billion per year in Europe.
Galcanezumab, explains Pierangelo Geppetti, President of the Italian Society for the Study of Headache, is part of the class of anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies that respond to the unsatisfied clinical needs of many patients. Galcanezumab induces a reduction in the number of migraine days by at least 50% in 62% of patients with episodic migraine (chronic form 28%), by at least 75% in 39% of cases (chronic form 9%) and by 100% in 16% of the subjects treated, says Piero Barbanti, President-elect of the Italian Neurological Association for Headache Research. Galcanezumab is able to significantly reduce the number of migraine days even in patients who have failed up to 4 preventive drugs, so far considered refractory. In addition, in a high percentage of subjects it takes effect already in the first 2 weeks of therapy (compared to over two months for old drugs) and causes a significant drop in pain intensity and disability. Finally, it is well tolerated. The percentage of refractory patients who after 3 months of therapy halves the attacks almost 40%, underlines Barbanti; there is a 5% of refractory patients who go to zero attacks. Finally, an element that characterizes Galcanezumab is that it is the only antibody that has documented efficacy also in cluster headache, a very serious and mainly male headache. There will be centers that will be authorized to prescribe the drug, Tedeschi concludes, for selected patients. All regions will identify the prescribing centers, so as to offer more centers in the area. (HANDLE).
