Soon a new method to fight against migraine? Produced by the American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, a nasal spray treatment has shown positive effects against pain and other symptoms, according to a study published Thursday. This molecule, baptized zavegepant, “has proven to be effective in the temporary treatment of migraine” with few side effects, summarizes this study published in the Lancet Neurologyone of the leading neurology journals.
The treatment, which has the particularity of being administered by nasal spray and not orally, has been blindly tested against a placebo in several hundred patients. It proved to be significantly more effective in reducing pain and, to a lesser extent, the symptoms considered the most disabling by the migraine sufferers examined. Migraine is not just about headaches, headaches. It is often accompanied by other symptoms such as visual disturbances or intolerance to light.
New tests needed
These favorable results validate a priori an important strategic choice of Pfizer. The American giant had bought, a year ago, for more than ten billion dollars, Biohaven, the company which develops zavegepant as well as other migraine treatments. “Further trials will be needed to confirm that (zavegepant) is safe over the long term and that it remains effective from one access to another,” however, warn the researchers.
Moreover, this trial only looked at the molecule’s effectiveness in calming a migraine attack. However, Pfizer also intends to make it a basic preventive treatment. The drug is already the subject of a request for approval from the American health authorities, the FDA. On the other hand, there is no procedure in progress in the European Union (EU). If approved by the FDA, zavegepant could offer a significant new treatment option for migraine sufferers, particularly those who want rapid relief or those for whom an alternative method of administration is desirable. James Rusnak, a Pfizer executive, in a statement.
Nasal spray treatments tend, in fact, to sometimes work better against migraine than those taken by mouth. They also have the advantage of escaping the nausea and vomiting that can accompany certain migraines.