A drug can halve the amount of time that people are laid low by migraines.
Erenumab is an antibody that blocks a brain pathway involving a molecule called CGRP, which becomes more abundant during migraine attacks. In a trial of nearly 1,000 people, the drug was found to typically reduce the number of 鈥渕igraine days鈥� a person had by three or four days a month.
The trial involved taking the drug 鈥� or a placebo 鈥� for six months. The drug halved the duration of migraines in around half of those who took it.
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The study is a step forward for understanding and treating migraine, says , from King鈥檚 College Hospital, London, who led the trial.
鈥淢igraine can be a debilitating, chronic condition that can destroy lives,鈥� says Simon Evans, of the charity Migraine Action. 鈥淲e hope this marks the start of real change in how this condition is treated.鈥�
It鈥檚 estimated that more than 8.5 million people in the UK experience migraines every year. Attacks can last as long as three days, and the condition has been linked to depression.
Journal reference:聽New England Journal of Medicine
Read more: Not just a headache: How migraine changes your brain
