Introduces the first specific drug against migraine
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), four million Spaniards, especially Spanish women, suffer from migraine, the second leading cause of disability in the world. The treatment that neurologists prescribe to their patients consists mainly of analgesics to relieve severe headaches, as well as antidepressants and antiepileptics, “which often helped, but we did not know why,” admits Jesús Porta-Etessam, president of the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN) . . This Tuesday, Vydura, “the first and only medicine specifically targeted against migraine”, was introduced. Manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, it is available in Spain from 1 January.
“The two big benefits of Vidura are that it works both to treat the acute phase of migraine and to prevent future attacks,” said Dr. José Chavez, medical director of Pfizer Spain. Another advantage is the quick effect. “It works in less than two hours, and within an hour patients begin to feel relief,” Chavez emphasized, adding that “49% cut the number of crises in half per month.” And over 16 months, the number of attacks is reduced by six days.
Unlike traditional treatments, the new drug, taken hourly, targets a specific target for the disease. Specifically, it targets neuropeptides—small molecules that act on the nervous system—to “block pain signaling and reduce vasodilation and neurological inflammation.” “It’s almost like precision medicine,” Porta-Etessam said. When taken orally, it has virtually no side effects. “In the case of nausea, there was a 1% increase compared to those taking placebo,” admitted a representative of the pharmaceutical giant.
This new drug is fundamentally aimed at administration by specialists in a hospital setting. It is funded for the preventive treatment of patients with moderate to severe migraines lasting 8 to 14 days per month and three or more failures of previous treatment administered in sufficient doses for at least 3 months. It can also be prescribed by a family doctor and purchased at a pharmacy. Moreover, its cost, according to the Ministry of Health, is 232.17 euros per box of eight tablets.