Pfizer Inc’s migraine treatment Relpax works better if patients take it in the early stages of a migraine attack than when the pain has become more severe, a clinical study showed on Tuesday.
The world’s largest drug maker announced the results of the study involving 613 migraine patients aged 18 to 65 at the eighth Congress of the European Federation of Neurological Societies.
“The study demonstrates the importance of early treatment at the first sign of an attack,” Peter Goadsby, professor of clinical neurology at the Institute of Neurology, University College London, said in a statement.
“The results confirm the effectiveness of eletriptan (Relpax) in treating migraine, especially when taken early during the mild pain phase,” he said.
Relpax had sales of $67 million in the first half of this year versus $41 million in the year-ago period. Pfizer’s total first-half sales were $24.8 billlion.
The highest two-hour pain-free rates were seen among migraine patients with mild pain taking the 40 milligram (mg) recommended initial dose of Relpax within half an hour of the beginning of the pain -- 71 percent compared with 23 percent of patients who were given a placebo during the trial, the study showed.
Among patients waiting to take the 40 mg dose until the attack became moderate to severe, pain-free rates were 39 percent compared with 21 percent on a placebo.
Each year, about 240 million people worldwide, mainly aged between 20 and 45, have an estimated 1.4 billion migraine attacks, which can last from a few hours to several days.
Many migraine patients are reluctant to take a preventive medication, particularly if they see it as a temporary rather than a chronic ailment, according to a report in the American Journal of Therapeutics.
