The first drug to prevent and treat migraines arrives

More than four million people – most of them women – suffer from migraines, i.e. 12% of the Spanish population. But approximately 54% do not find a medical solution for their disease, and for this reason it is urgent to find treatment options, as it is a disease that, when it attacks, completely incapacitates the patient and disconnects him from his daily life. In this context, it is the first and only drug prescribed for prevention and treatment, at the same time, that reaches pharmacies in migraine crises. This is Vydura, from Pzifer, which eliminates pain within two hours of receiving treatment — sometimes even an hour later — and the symptom relief lasts for up to 48 hours. In addition, clinical trials showed that in 49% of cases, the number of migraine days per month was halved, and its effectiveness is long-term.

The problem is that, for now, it will only be funded for preventive treatment of patients who have moderate or severe migraines for eight to 14 days a month, but have previously tried three or more previous treatments, for at least three. For months, these medications have failed. It must be prescribed by a specialist and given in a hospital pharmacy.

For acute treatment, that is, at the onset of a crisis, it is also indicated but is not funded by the national health system. But it can be purchased in pharmacies, with a prescription from a primary care doctor or specialist, for a cost that Pzever did not want to disclose in the drug presentation, although its medical director in Spain, Dr. Jose Chavez, confirms that it is a “reasonable price.”

Vydura is already available in 40 countries and, according to Dr. Chavez, shows that it has “significant and proven efficacy” and that it can “change the lives of many patients.” For his part, the President of the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN), Dr. Jesús Porta-Itesan, indicated that he expects the drug to be particularly useful for patients who do not respond to other treatments, because it “comes close to precision medicine.” “It has fewer side effects than traditional medicines.