Fremanezumab Yields Monthly Migraine and Headache Reductions in Real-World Setting
Recent data presented at the AHS annual meeting showed clinically meaningful improvements in MMD and MHD in patients with both chronic and episodic migraine.
Joshua Cohen, MD, MPH, FAHS
Data from a recent online physician chart review suggest that treatment of migraine with fremanezumab (Ajovy; Teva Pharmaceuticals) produced clinically meaningful improvements in patients with episodic (EM) and chronic migraine (CM) in a real-world setting.1
These findings were presented at the 2021 Virtual American Headache Society (AHS) 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting, June 3-6, by first author Joshua Cohen, MD, MPH, FAHS, senior director and global lead, migraine and headache, Teva Pharmaceuticals.
“Fremanezumab, a fully-humanized monoclonal antibody (IgG2Δa) that selectively targets the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), has been approved for migraine preventive treatment in adults. Real-world effectiveness data for fremanezumab in reducing monthly migraine days (MMD) and monthly headache days (MHD) are needed to understand the treatment’s full clinical benefit,” Cohen et al wrote.
Cohen and colleagues conducted a panel-based review that used electronic case report forms to analyze data from 421 clinicians and 1003 patients treated with fremanezumab, 587 with CM and 416 with EM. They sought to evaluate the effectiveness of fremanezumab in reducing MMD and MHD in adult migraine patients over a period lasting up to 6 months. The patients were mostly women (76%; n = 762) and the mean age at fremanezumab initiation was 39.7 years. The patients had a mean MMD of 12.7 (CM, 14.7; EM, 10.0) and MHD of 14.0 (CM, 16.4; EM, 10.7) at baseline.
READ MORE: Fremanezumab Demonstrates Efficacy and Safety in Pair of AAN Posters
“Forty percent of migraine patients could benefit from preventive therapies, however, only about 13 percent of these patients are currently on preventive treatment. It’s important for patients and the healthcare community to know their treatment options in managing their disease,” Denisa Hurtukova, MD, vice president and head, North America medical affairs, Teva Pharmaceuticals, said in a statement on data presented at the meeting.2
“In order to help address this unmet need, we’re continuing to explore Ajovy in clinical and real-world settings. We’re pleased to see the data presented at AHS is examining subgroups of patients who may experience fewer migraine days with Ajovy,” she continued.
The investigators observed that the patients experienced a mean reduction of 4.6 (36.2%) MMD and 4.7 (33.6%) MHD at 1 month overall, with patients with CM reporting a 5.5-day (37.4%) reduction in MMD and a 5.1-day (31.1%) reduction in MHD and patients with EM reporting a 3.4-day (34.0%) reduction in MMD and a 4.1-day (38.3%) reduction in MHD.
At 3 months, overall mean MMD were down by 6.7 (52.8%) and MHD by 6.8 (48.6%) from baseline. Patients with CM had a 7.9-day (53.7%) mean reduction in MMD and an 8.0-day (48.8%) reduction in MHD while patients with EM had a 4.7-day (47.0%) mean reduction in MMD and a 4.9-day (45.8%) reduction in MHD. At 6 months, overall mean MMD were down by 9.2 days (72.4%) and MHD by 9.8 days (70.0%) from baseline. Patients with CM had a 10.1-day (68.7%) mean reduction in MMD and a 10.8-day (65.9%) reduction in MHD while patients with EM had a 7.7-day (77.0%) mean reduction in MMD and an 8.0-day (74.8%) reduction in MHD.
“Fremanezumab treatment resulted in clinically meaningful reductions in both MMD and MHD for CM and EM patients that increased over a period of 6 months in a US real-world setting,” Cohen and colleagues concluded.
For more coverage of AHS 2021, click here.
