To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: HEADACHE MEETING: Eletriptan Provides Faster, Superior Relief Of Acute Migraine Than Sumatriptan URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/10E4C6.htm Doctor's Guide July 2, 1999
BARCELONA, SPAIN -- July 2, 1999 -- At the ninth International Headache Society meeting, Dr. William Pryse-Phillips of the Memorial University of Newfoundland presented evidence that a new anti-migraine drug is very effective in treating acute attacks. In a randomised placebo-controlled study of 774 patients treated with Pfizer Inc.'s eletriptan 40 or 80 mg, sumatriptan 50 or 100 mg, or given placebo, eletriptan produced relief of pain, nausea and vomiting, as early as one hour after medication was taken. Eletriptan was generally well tolerated and adverse events were mild to moderate in intensity and were transient. Those most commonly reported by all treatment groups, were a low incidence of dizziness, asthenia and nausea. "The study results demonstrate that eletriptan is efficacious in relieving the symptoms of an acute migraine attack at both the 40 mg and 80 mg doses and that the response is generally superior to sumatriptan," Dr. Pryse-Phillips said. "This represents a significant development for the treatment of migraine.'' Headache response rates were higher with eletriptan 40 mg and 80 mg than sumatriptan 50 mg and 100 mg at one hour (respectively 30-37 percent versus 24-27 percent) and two hours (64-67 percent versus 50-53 percent) after treatment. At two hours, significantly more patients in the eletriptan groups were completely pain-free than in the sumatriptan groups. The increases in the proportion of patients relieved of nausea, photophobia and phonophobia by two hours after dosing were greater in the eletriptan groups than in the sumatriptan and placebo groups. Eletriptan was also significantly more effective than sumatriptan at providing relief of functional disability. The proportion of patients receiving eletriptan who could function at two hours after dosing, defined as could do something or were active as normal was 63 percent and 58 percent compared to 46 percent and 48 percent for patients on sumatriptan. Reported recurrence of headaches were also lower in the eletriptan groups (19 percent and 16 percent) compared to 26 percent, 27 percent and 25 percent with the two sumatriptan doses and placebo, respectively. Eletriptan is part of the most recent therapeutic class of migraine medications called serotonin (5HT 1B/1D) agonists, for the symptomatic relief of acute migraine with or without aura in adults. Selective serotonin (5HT 1B/1D) agonists reproduce the action of a neurotransmitter in the brain called serotonin or 5HT which is believed to constrict swollen blood vessels in the membranes covering the brain and interrupt the transmission of pain. Serotonin (5HT 1B/1D) agonists activate sites in the swollen blood vessels - called serotonin 1B and 1D receptors -- causing the vessels to constrict and reducing both the swelling and pain. Migraine is a disorder of the central nervous system, characterised by unpredictable attacks of intense, pulsating head pain on one or both sides. The majority of people who suffer from migraines report experiencing nausea and vomiting and, in some cases, sensitivity to light (photophobia) and to sound (phonophobia). Migraine attacks can last between two and 24 hours and in extreme cases, up to three days. It is estimated that three out of four migraine sufferers cannot function normally during an attack. In Canada, it is estimated that more than three million persons (17 percent of the adult population) suffer from migraine. Migraine affects 22 percent of women and five percent of men. The prevalence of migraine is approximately three times higher in adult women than in men and half of all sufferers have a family history of migraine. The majority of migraineurs are between 20 and 55 years of age, therefore representing a large percentage of Canada's working age population. The cost of migraine resulting from workplace absenteeism and loss of productivity alone is estimated at $500 million US annually, according to a 1990 Angus Reid Poll. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.