Atogepant: New migraine drug recommended for NHS use in England

The first oral treatment to prevent chronic and episodic migraines could soon be available on the NHS.

Health experts said up to 170,000 people in England could benefit from taking atogepant to prevent severe headache, which can be debilitating.

It has been recommended for those who have not responded well to other medications or cannot receive injections.

A migraine charity described it as a positive step and said it hoped access to the drug would be “rapid”.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended the drug, which comes in tablet form, after clinical trials suggested it was effective in some adults.

In its final draft guidance, NICE said atogepant should be offered to people who have tried three other drugs without success, one of which must be taken by injection or infusion.

It’s not always obvious whether you’re experiencing a headache or the beginning of a migraine.

Migraines are more severe and are often accompanied by other symptoms such as dizziness, sensitivity to light, and difficulty speaking.

The pain may be a stabbing pain on one side of the head and may last for several days.

Atogepant is designed to be taken daily to prevent both chronic migraines (occurring more than 15 times a month) and episodic migraines (occurring four to 15 times a month).

Initially, it will only be available through specialist doctors in secondary care settings, rather than GPs.

Rob Music, chief executive of the Migraine Trust, said it was good news as migraines can be very “debilitating”.

“It’s positive to see even more therapies emerging for people with migraine, as many still rely on treatments developed for other conditions.”

However, the charity warned that many people had struggled to access similar new medicines due to a lack of knowledge among doctors and long waiting lists for specialists.

“Now we need to ensure that access is rapid, so that migraine patients can benefit from them as quickly as possible,” Music said.

Atogepant is a new type of anticancer drug related to the calcitonin gene (CGRP), which is specifically designed to treat migraines. They act by blocking the CGRP protein receptor. It is found in the nerves of the head and neck and is thought to cause inflammation and migraine pain. These medications have fewer side effects than older migraine medications, some of which were originally developed for other conditions.

Deborah Sloan, from Brighton, told the BBC that rimegepant had “put her life back on track” after suffering from chronic migraines for 40 years. Other treatments caused serious side effects.

He said he can now return to work after missing two races due to suffering from migraines for 20 days of each month.

“I was at the end of my rope,” he said. “I became so desperate that I wasn’t sure how I was going to move forward. I didn’t think I could handle another migraine attack because they are so disabling.

“They can last three days, vomiting constantly. You can’t do anything. You feel like you want to die, that’s how I felt.”

However, Ms Sloan said she initially had to obtain rimegepant privately because of the long wait until she was referred to a specialist doctor who could prescribe it.

Atogepant is expected to be available on NHS England from next month.

It is now available in Scotland to prevent and relieve migraine symptoms.