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The new migraine drug is erenumab.
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Scientists from the Royal School of London and the University of California have presented a new drug that effectively eliminates the main symptoms of migraine. According to doctors, this medicinal painkiller should be suitable for those people who cannot eliminate pain with conventional drugs.
Migraine is a controversial and common condition. In the United States alone, more than 37 million people complain of frequent headaches. Four million Americans are officially diagnosed with chronic migraine, with attacks more than 10-14 times a month. Typically, to relieve severe pain, doctors prescribe ibuprofen-based tablets or drugs with a more pronounced effect, such as Sumatriptan and Ergotamine.
Migraine is caused by dilation of the blood vessels in the brain. This condition is accompanied not only by headaches, but also by nausea and dizziness. Standard anti-migraine drugs cause vasoconstriction, as a result of which the pain loses its intensity. But for many patients, these drugs do not become a salvation. Therefore, scientists set out to create a new drug that can reliably block pain signals.
The newly developed drug is called Erenumab. It is a monoclonal antibody that can create a blockade of calcitonin gene-related peptides. Such peptides are molecular structures that transmit pain signals that occur during a migraine attack.
Scientists conducted a control clinical study, which involved 246 participants. The selected volunteers had migraine attacks with a frequency of 4-14 monthly. One group of patients had an even higher frequency of attacks - at least fifteen per month. All participants were united by the fact that no standard medication helped them anymore.
All participants were offered to take the new drug Erenumab at a dose of 140 mg, or "placebo". The duration of treatment was 3 months. According to the results, it turned out that in every third patient the frequency of attacks decreased by more than 50%. In addition, no significant side effects were found while taking the new drug.
Medical experts expressed hope that the information obtained during the study will allow for approval from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), a special regulatory agency. If such approval is received, the new drug will enter the market this year. Since Erenumab has demonstrated high efficiency, it may well become the best alternative for patients with persistent and frequent migraine manifestations.
The experts' findings are published on the pages of the American Academy of Neurology (https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/1641).
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