Thursday, June 7, 2007
...in 2009. For those who suffer from migraines, you know just how disabling one can be. The searing pain caused by the dimmest light or the reverberating jet engine in your head caused by a sound as faint as a pin drop.
The current prescription remedy for migraines is a class of drug called "Triptans" which primarily work on seretonin levels in the brain and act to constrict blood vessels to help reduce migraine associated symptoms. However, the experts at Merck Research Laboratories. have uncovered a potential new class of migraine drug called a "oral calcitonin-gene-related peptide receptor antagonist" or CGRP receptor antagonist for short. Researchers have found that CGRP levels in the brain are elevated during migraines and the current theory is that these elevated levels are related to the severity and duration of the migraine. The higher the CGRP level the more severe the migraine pain. What this new experimental drug class is designed to do is block CGRP and in doing so alleviate the pain of a migraine.
So far the study statistics are promising. Doses of 300-600mg of MK-0974(the trial name for the drug) are shown to be most effective thus far. Two-thirds of those patients who took MK-0974 or Maxalt (a Triptan class drug) reported a reduction in pain in about 2 hours. That's typical for someone who is going to experience pain relief from a migraine medication. However, 50% of the patients who took MK-0974 reported being pain FREE in 2 hours as compared to to 33% taking Maxalt and 14% with placebo. Also, 40% of those who took MK-0974 reported being pain-free 24 hours after their dose. That's the most impressive statistic to me. A long acting migraine medication with potential to eliminate pain completely in about 50% of those who take it in as little as 2 hours. Fascinating!
If the FDA grants approval to Merck to market this new type of drug, the approximately 30% of migraine sufferers who cannot take Triptans because of cardiovascular conditions or because Triptans do not provide them any relief will be presented with a new prescription treatment for their migraines.
Exciting stuff don't you think? As stated, don't expect this drug (if it clears clinical trials) to win FDA approval until at least 2009.
To find out more check out the full article on WebMD here:
New Migraine Drug Promising
Also: Merck Research Labs
The current prescription remedy for migraines is a class of drug called "Triptans" which primarily work on seretonin levels in the brain and act to constrict blood vessels to help reduce migraine associated symptoms. However, the experts at Merck Research Laboratories. have uncovered a potential new class of migraine drug called a "oral calcitonin-gene-related peptide receptor antagonist" or CGRP receptor antagonist for short. Researchers have found that CGRP levels in the brain are elevated during migraines and the current theory is that these elevated levels are related to the severity and duration of the migraine. The higher the CGRP level the more severe the migraine pain. What this new experimental drug class is designed to do is block CGRP and in doing so alleviate the pain of a migraine.
So far the study statistics are promising. Doses of 300-600mg of MK-0974(the trial name for the drug) are shown to be most effective thus far. Two-thirds of those patients who took MK-0974 or Maxalt (a Triptan class drug) reported a reduction in pain in about 2 hours. That's typical for someone who is going to experience pain relief from a migraine medication. However, 50% of the patients who took MK-0974 reported being pain FREE in 2 hours as compared to to 33% taking Maxalt and 14% with placebo. Also, 40% of those who took MK-0974 reported being pain-free 24 hours after their dose. That's the most impressive statistic to me. A long acting migraine medication with potential to eliminate pain completely in about 50% of those who take it in as little as 2 hours. Fascinating!
If the FDA grants approval to Merck to market this new type of drug, the approximately 30% of migraine sufferers who cannot take Triptans because of cardiovascular conditions or because Triptans do not provide them any relief will be presented with a new prescription treatment for their migraines.
Exciting stuff don't you think? As stated, don't expect this drug (if it clears clinical trials) to win FDA approval until at least 2009.
To find out more check out the full article on WebMD here:
New Migraine Drug Promising
Also: Merck Research Labs
4:09 PM
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