https://goo.gl/ZSVH1x
Previous research has indicated that the activation of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) — a neuropeptide expressed in the peripheral and central nervous system — plays a significant role in the development of migraine.
Erenumab — developed by pharmaceutical company Novartis, who part-funded the study — is a monoclonal antibody that blocks the CGRP receptor.
At study baseline, participants experienced an average of 8.3 migraine days per month. The team assessed how erenumab treatment affected the number of monthly migraine days at 4, 5, and 6 months after the first injection.
Overall, the researchers found that participants who received the 140-milligram dose of erenumab experienced a 3.7-day reduction in the number of migraine days, while those who took the 70-milligram dose saw their number of migraine days fall by 3.2 days.
In comparison, subjects who received the placebo only saw a 1.8-day reduction in their number of migraine days over 6 months.
Looking at the results on an individual basis, the researchers found that 43.3 percent of those who took the 70-milligram dose of erenumab saw their number of monthly migraine days more than halved, and this was also the case for 50 percent of subjects who took the 140-milligram dose.