Nearly one in four households in the U.S. include someone who suffers from migraines. They can be debilitating. However, there's good news for those in pain.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a first-of-its-kind drug designed to prevent migraines. Cleveland Clinic headache specialist Zubair Ahmed, MD said erenumab is the first medication developed for the sole purpose of preventing migraine headaches.
“It's significant because we've never had any preventatives specifically designed for patients who have migraines,” he said. “We've always used medicines for seizures or for blood pressure or antidepressants to help treat migraines, at least as preventatives go.”
The drug is a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) blocker and will be available as a once-monthly self-injection.
NBC Charlotte asked local doctors if people in the Queen City will have access to this new medication. A headache specialist at Novant Health, Dr. David Gordon, said yes. In fact, it will be available by June.
"The medication works for about 30-40% of patients who use it," Dr. Gordon said. "They get at least 50-75% better."
According to Dr. Ahmed, the drug essentially tells the brain to ‘turn off’ a migraine by blocking a molecule that causes headaches. Recent research showed people with hard-to-treat migraines who took the new drug reported fewer headaches, used fewer headache ‘rescue’ medications and were able to function better.
Physicians are optimistic this drug could really help those who suffer chronic migraines. We asked Dr. Gordon how much the injections will cost.
"I only found out recently, and I think the cost is going to be about $575/month, whether insurance will cover it all or not, I don't know."
Reported side effects of short-term use include injection site irritation and constipation, according to the FDA. Dr. Ahmed said more studies are needed to assess long-term side effects from the drug.