A migraine drug that could transform the lives of thousands of people suffering from the “incredibly debilitating” condition should be made available “quickly” through the NHS, a charity has said.
Atogepant — sold under the brand name Aquipta and manufactured by AbbVie — has been approved NHS Use under new final draft guidance from the National Institutes of healthy and Nursing Excellence (Nice).
Anyone who experiences migraines for at least four days a month and has tried at least three other treatments without finding relief will be eligible to take the once-daily medication. That means the roughly 170,000 migraine sufferers will have more treatment options, Nice said.
However, Nice recommends discontinuing treatment after three months if chronic migraines (occurring more than 15 days per month) have not been reduced by at least 30% and episodic migraines (occurring less than 15 days per month) have been reduced by at least 30%. At least 50%.
According to the Migraine Trust, around 10 million adults in the UK suffer from the condition.
The charity’s chief executive, Rob Music, called on the NHS to get the drug “quickly” as he described how migraine attacks can be “incredibly debilitating”.
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“Symptoms may include severe headache, loss or change in sensation, and lack of ability to perform daily activities,” he said.
“It is positive to see more treatments emerging for migraine sufferers, as many people still rely on treatments developed for other conditions.
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“We now need to ensure rapid access so migraine patients can benefit from it as quickly as possible.”
Health Secretary Andrew Stephenson said: “Migraine affects millions of people in this country and this new treatment will help prevent migraines from coming back when other medicines don’t work.
“This will allow more people whose daily lives are affected by this painful, debilitating condition to more effectively manage migraines and live fulfilling lives.”
In October last year, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) recommended Aquipta for use in Scotland, with Nice providing guidance for England.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: “Currently, the most effective option for chronic migraine sufferers who have tried three preventive treatments is injectable medicines.
“The committee heard from patient experts that some people were unable to receive injectable treatments, for example because they were allergic to or fearful of needles.”
Ms Knight said chronic migraine sufferers “welcome oral treatments” and Aquipta also provides more options for episodic migraine sufferers.
Nice is expected to issue final guidance on the drug next month if there are no appeals against its draft final guidance.
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