Jessica Ailani, MD: The Ongoing Expansion in Headache Medicine

“We [as a field] have exploded. It is completely crazy, in clinical practice, the number of options that are available to patients. It can be extremely overwhelming to them.”

Despite the need for its annual meeting to switch to a virtual model for this year, the American Headache Society’s 2020 annual scientific meeting is expected to have a full slate of abstracts showing off highly-anticipated data. Starting June 13, 2020, a number of abstracts covering developments in the pipeline, as well as newly acquired information about recent approvals, is expected to be available.

One of the members of the scientific committee, Jessica Ailani, MD, FAHS, director of MedStar Georgetown Headache Center, spoke with NeurologyLive about this “explosion” of options in the headache field and how this year’s meeting is set to still show off that data. She shared her insight into a number of abstracts to look out for, including safety and label updates, data on combination approaches, and long-term data on other newly approved therapies.

Additionally, Ailani discussed how the virtual model may be lacking in its ability to provide networking and 1-on-1 interactions—which many physicians utilize to gain insight into others’ experiences—but certainly is not lacking in data on the topic. She praised the output of those in the field in getting so much data prepared so quickly, particularly those sharing clinical experiences with new acute medicines.

For more AHS 2020 coverage, click here.