UK’s NICE approves new injection medication for chronic migraine patients

• Medication currently under review for approval for use in Irish patients
• • 1 in 7 people^[1] suffer from migraines in the Republic of Ireland – a condition which impacts as many as 700,000 people^[2]

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended a new migraine medication for use by chronic migraine patients⁶.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended AJOVY^®     (fremanezumab) for the prophylaxis of migraine in adults with chronic migraine who have not responded to at least three prior preventive treatments.

AJOVY^® belongs to a class of medications called anti-CGRPs, which have been specifically designed to target the underlying causes of migraine.

The medicine can be self-injected either monthly or quarterly, once patients are trained by a Healthcare Professional³.

Current migraine prevention therapies include anti-epileptics, anti-depressants, beta blockers or onabotulinumtoxinA injections, however these were not developed specifically to target migraine⁴.

The majority of migraine sufferers have Migraine without Aura – common symptoms being an intense throbbing headache, usually on one side of the head, worsened by movement, and lasting from 4-72 hours⁵.  Other symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, noises and smells, stiffness of the neck and shoulders and blurred vision⁵

Research has shown that 1 in 7¹ people suffer from migraines in the Republic of Ireland – a condition which impacts as many as 700,000² people overall.

In the Republic of Ireland, AJOVY^® is currently being reviewed for use by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE).