Search

Migraine remains one of the most disabling disorders worldwide. The high prevalence in the general population and the often-delicate treatment of patients account for that. Therapeutic management of migraine relies mainly on non-specific medical treatment and is affected by low patient adherence to the treatment regimens applied. The introduction of specific anti-migraine treatment occurred over 20 years ago when the first triptan was approved by regulatory authorities (sumatriptan, 28 December 1992). Triptan use is limited by side effects, time- and frequency-restricted application, and the risk of developing medication overuse headache. Within the past few years, new and promising drugs such as more specific 5-HT 1F receptor agonists (that is, lasmiditan) and monoclonal calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antibodies entered advanced development phases while non-invasive neuromodulatory approaches were suggested to be potentially effective as non-pharmaceutical interventions for migraine.

Lasmiditan is a novel selective 5-HT(1F) receptor agonist. It is both scientifically and clinically relevant to review whether a 5-HT(1F) receptor agonist is effective in the acute treatment of migraine. Two RCTs in the phase II development of lasmiditan was reviewed. In the intravenous placebo-controlled RCT, lasmiditan doses of 2.5-45 mg were used, and there was a linear association between headache relief (HR) rates and dose levels (P 0.02). For lasmiditan 20 mg, HR was 64 % and for placebo it was 45 % (NS). In the oral placebo-controlled RCT, lasmiditan doses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg were used. For HR, all doses of lasmiditan were superior to placebo (P 0.05). For lasmiditan 400 mg, HR was 64 % and it was 25 % for placebo. Adverse events (AEs) emerging from the treatment were reported by 22 % of the patients receiving placebo and by 65, 73, 87 and 87 % of patients receiving 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg, respectively. The majority of AEs after lasmiditan 100 and 400 mg were moderate or severe. For the understanding of migraine pathophysiology, it is very important to note that a selective 5-HT(1F) receptor agonist like lasmiditan is effective in the acute treatment of migraine. Thus, migraine can be treated with a drug that has no vasoconstrictor ability. While lasmiditan most likely is effective in the treatment of migraine attacks it had, unfortunately, a high incidence of CNS related AEs in the oral RCT. If confirmed in larger studies in phase III, this might adversely limit the use of this highly specific non-vascular acute treatment of migraine. Larger studies including the parameters of patients' preferences are necessary to accurately position this new treatment principle in relation to the triptans.

Chronic migraine (CM), the suffering of 15 or more headache days with at least 8 of these migraine days, afflicts 1.3% - 5.1% of the global population. CM is the most common disorder faced by experts in tertiary headache centers. When resistant to conventional medical treatment and prophylactic medication this condition is known as refractory chronic migraine (RCM). RCM is one of the greatest challenges in headache medicine.State-of-the-art and future medical treatments of chronic migraine include: OnabotulinumtoxinA, antiepileptic drugs (Levetiracetam, Magnesium valproate hydrate, Lacosamide, BGG-492), 5-HT agonists (Lasmiditan, NXN-188, novel delivery systems of Sumatriptan, a well-established drug treatment for acute migraine), CGRP receptor antagonists (BMS-927711), ML-1 agonists (Ramelteon), orexin receptor antagonist (MK-6096), plant-derived compound (LLL-2011) and other multitarget drugs such as Tezampanel, Tonabersat, intranasal carbon dioxide and BOL-148. The role for neuromodulation, the application of targeted electrical stimulation, will be examined.Medication overuse headache (MOH) is now recognized to be a major factor in many cases of both chronic and refractory chronic migraine. MOH must be addressed prior to evaluating the effectiveness of new preventative and prophylactic treatment approaches. Innovative new drugs and electrical neuromodulation are promising CM treatments. Future studies must carefully screen patients and acquire data that can lead to personalized, tailored treatment strategies.

Lasmiditan (COL-144) is a novel, centrally acting, highly selective 5-HT(1F) receptor agonist without vasoconstrictor activity that seemed effective when given as an intravenous infusion in a proof-of-concept migraine study. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of oral lasmiditan for the acute treatment of migraine.In this multicentre, double-blind, parallel-group, dose-ranging study in 43 headache centres in five European countries, patients with migraine with and without aura and who were not using prophylaxis were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1:1) to treat one moderate or severe attack at home with 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, or 400 mg lasmiditan, or placebo. Study drug and placebo were supplied in identical numbered tablet packs. The randomisation code was generated by an independent statistician. Patients and investigators were masked to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was dose response for headache relief (moderate or severe becoming mild or none) at 2 h. The primary analysis was done in the modified intention-to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00883051.Between July 8 2009, and Feb 18, 2010, 512 patients were randomly assigned to treatment, 391 of whom received treatment. 86 patients received placebo (81 included in primary analysis) and 305 received lasmiditan (50 mg n=79, 100 mg n=81, 200 mg n=69, and 400 mg n=68 included in primary analysis). There was a linear association between headache response rate at 2 h and lasmiditan dose (Cochran-Armitage test p0·0001). Every lasmiditan treatment dose significantly improved headache response at 2 h compared with placebo (lasmiditan 50 mg: difference 17·9%, 95% CI 3·9-32·1, p=0·022; 100 mg: 38·2%, 24·1-52·4, p0·0001; 200 mg: 28·8%, 9·6-39·9, p=0·0018; 400 mg: 38·7%, 23·9-53·6, p0·0001). The proportion of patients with treatment-emergent adverse events increased with increasing doses (53/82 [65%], 59/82 [72%], 61/71 [86%], and 59/70 [84%] for lasmiditan 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg, respectively vs 19/86 [22%] for placebo). Most adverse events were mild or moderate in intensity, with 16 of 82 (20%), 23 of 82 (28%), 28 of 71 (39%), and 31 of 70 (44%) of patients on lasmiditan 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg, respectively reporting a severe adverse event compared with five of 86 (6%) on placebo. The most common adverse events were CNS related and included dizziness, fatigue, vertigo, paraesthesia, and somnolence.Oral lasmiditan seems to be safe and effective in the acute treatment of migraine. Further assessment in larger placebo-controlled and triptan-controlled trials are needed to assess the potential role of lasmiditan in acute migraine therapy.CoLucid Pharmaceuticals.

Methods: Four hundred and sixty-one adult subjects with migraine were randomised to one of five treatments, the oral antagonist at the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor BI 44370 TA (50 mg, 200 mg, 400 mg), active comparator eletriptan 40 mg or placebo. The analysis included 341 subjects who took study medication. Results: The primary endpoint, pain-free after two hours, was reached by significantly more subjects in the BI 44370 TA 400 mg (20/73 = 27.4%) and eletriptan 40 mg (24/69 = 34.8%) groups compared to placebo (6/70 = 8.6%, p = .0016), but not by subjects in the BI 44370 TA 200 mg group (14/65 = 21.5%). The effect of 50 mg BI 44370 TA (5/64 = 7.8%) was similar to that of placebo. Analysis of secondary endpoints supported the conclusion from the primary analysis. The frequency of adverse events was low in all groups. Conclusion: Efficacy of BI 44370 TA was shown in a dose-dependent manner in the treatment of acute migraine attacks.

Introduction: Lasmiditan (COL-144; LY573144) is a novel, highly selective and potent agonist at 5-HT1F receptors that lacks vasoconstrictor activity. Preclinical and early clinical experiments predict acute antimigraine efficacy of COL-144 that is mediated through a non-vascular, primarily neural, mechanism. Subjects and methods: In a randomised, multicentre, placebo-controlled, double-blind, group-sequential, adaptive treatment-assignment, proof-of-concept and dose-finding study, we treated 130 subjects in-hospital during a migraine attack. Subjects were allocated to an intravenous dose level of lasmiditan or placebo in small cohorts. The starting dose was 2.5 mg. Subsequent doses were adjusted, up or down, according to the safety and efficacy seen in the preceding cohort. The primary outcome measure was headache response defined as improvement from moderate or severe headache at baseline to mild or no headache at 2 h post-dose. The study was designed to explore the overall dose response relationship but was not powered to differentiate individual doses from placebo, nor to detect effect differences for other migraine symptoms. Results: Forty-two subjects received placebo and 88 received lasmiditan in doses of 2.5–45 mg. Subjects were observed in the clinic for 4 h after treatment and used a diary card to record symptoms and adverse events for up to 24 h. The study was terminated when the 20 mg dose met predefined efficacy stopping rules. Of subjects treated in the 10, 20, 30 and 45 mg lasmiditan dose groups, 54–75% showed a 2 h headache response, compared to 45% in the placebo group ( P = 0.0126 for the linear association between response rates and dose levels). Patient global impression at 2 h and lack of need for rescue medication also showed statistically significant linear correlations with dose. Lasmiditan was generally well tolerated. Adverse events were reported by 65% of subjects on lasmiditan and by 43% on placebo and were generally mild. Dizziness, paresthesia and sensations of heaviness (usually limb) were more common on lasmiditan. Conclusions: At intravenous doses of 20 mg and higher, lasmiditan proved effective in the acute treatment of migraine. Further studies to assess the optimal oral dose and full efficacy and tolerability profile are under way. The non-vascular, neural mechanism of action of lasmiditan may offer an alternative means to treat migraine especially in patients who have contra-indications for agents with vasoconstrictor activity. The clinicaltrials.gov identifier for this study is NCT00384774.

Introduction: Lasmiditan (also known as COL-144 and LY573144; 2,4,6-trifluoro- N-[6-[(1-methylpiperidin-4-yl)carbonyl]pyridin-2yl]benzamide) is a high-affinity, highly selective serotonin (5-HT) 5-HT1F receptor agonist. Results: In vitro binding studies show a Ki value of 2.21 nM at the 5-HT1F receptor, compared with Ki values of 1043 nM and 1357 nM at the 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors, respectively, a selectivity ratio greater than 470-fold. Lasmiditan showed higher selectivity for the 5-HT1F receptor relative to other 5-HT1 receptor subtypes than the first generation 5-HT1F receptor agonist LY334370. Unlike the 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonist sumatriptan, lasmiditan did not contract rabbit saphenous vein rings, a surrogate assay for human coronary artery constriction, at concentrations up to 100 µM. In two rodent models of migraine, oral administration of lasmiditan potently inhibited markers associated with electrical stimulation of the trigeminal ganglion (dural plasma protein extravasation, and induction of the immediate early gene c-Fos in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis). Conclusions: Lasmiditan presents a unique pyridinoyl-piperidine scaffold not found in any other antimigraine class. Its chemical structure and pharmacological profile clearly distinguish it from the triptans. The potency and selectivity of lasmiditan make it ideally suited to definitively test the involvement of 5-HT1F receptors in migraine headache therapy.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) probably has a role in migraine pathophysiology, and antagonism of its receptors might provide treatment without the vasoconstrictor effects of triptans. We aimed to assess the clinical profile of MK-0974 (telcagepant), an orally bioavailable antagonist of CGRP receptor.In a randomised, parallel-treatment, placebo-controlled, double-blind, trial at 81 sites in the Europe and the USA, adults with migraine diagnosed by International Headache Society criteria treated moderate or severe attacks with either oral telcagepant 150 mg or 300 mg, zolmitriptan 5 mg, or placebo. The five co-primary endpoints were pain freedom, pain relief, or absence of photophobia, phonophobia, or nausea at 2 h after treatment. Analysis was by the full analysis set and multiplicity was controlled for with a step-down closed-testing procedure. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00442936.1380 patients were randomly assigned to receive telcagepant 150 mg (n=333) or 300 mg (354), zolmitriptan (345), or placebo (348). Telcagepant 300 mg was more effective than placebo for pain freedom (95 [27%] of 353 patients vs 33 [10%] of 343 [p0.0001]), pain relief (194 [55%] of 353 vs 95 [28%] of 343 [p0.0001]), and absences of phonophobia (204 [58%] of 353 vs 126 [37%] of 342 [p0.0001]), photophobia (180 [51%] of 353 vs 99 [29%] of 342 [p0.0001]), and nausea (229 [65%] of 352 vs 189 [55%] of 342 [p=0.0061]). Efficacy of telcagepant 300 mg and zolmitriptan 5 mg were much the same, and both were more effective than telcagepant 150 mg. Adverse events were recorded for 31% taking telcagepant 150 mg, 37% taking telcagepant 300 mg, 51% taking zolmitriptan 5 mg, and 32% taking placebo.Telcagepant 300 mg is effective as an acute treatment for migraine with efficacy comparable to that of zolmitriptan 5 mg, but with fewer associated adverse effects.Merck Research Laboratories.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) may have a causative role in migraine. We therefore hypothesized that a CGRP-receptor antagonist might be effective in the treatment of migraine attacks.In an international, multicenter, double-blind, randomized clinical trial of BIBN 4096 BS, a highly specific and potent nonpeptide CGRP-receptor antagonist, 126 patients with migraine received one of the following: placebo or 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, or 10 mg of BIBN 4096 BS intravenously over a period of 10 minutes. A group-sequential adaptive treatment-assignment design was used to minimize the number of patients exposed.The 2.5-mg dose was selected, with a response rate of 66 percent, as compared with 27 percent for placebo (P=0.001). The BIBN 4096 BS group as a whole had a response rate of 60 percent. Significant superiority over placebo was also observed with respect to most secondary end points: the pain-free rate at 2 hours; the rate of sustained response over a period of 24 hours; the rate of recurrence of headache; improvement in nausea, photophobia, phonophobia, and functional capacity; and the time to meaningful relief. An effect was apparent after 30 minutes and increased over the next few hours. The overall rate of adverse events was 25 percent after the 2.5-mg dose of the drug and 20 percent for the BIBN 4096 BS group as a whole, as compared with 12 percent for placebo. The most frequent side effect was paresthesia. There were no serious adverse events.The CGRP antagonist BIBN 4096 BS was effective in treating acute attacks of migraine.

Serotonin-1F receptor (5-HT1F) agonists may relieve acute migraine without vasoconstriction. We conducted a review of preclinical and clinical data that assessed the potential link between migraine and 5-HT1F activation. (i) A high correlation exists between the potency of various 5-HT1 receptor agonists in the guinea pig dural plasma protein extravasation assay and their 5-HT1F receptor binding affinity. (ii) 5-HT1F receptors are on the trigeminal system, and may participate in blocking migraine pain transmission through the trigeminal ganglion and nucleus caudalis. (iii) 5-HT1F receptors are located on glutamate-containing neurones and their activation might inhibit glutamate release; glutamate excess may play a role in migraine. (iv) Selective 5-HT1F receptor agonists (LY334370; LY344864) are effective in preclinical migraine models and are non-vasoconstrictive. (v) LY334370 is effective in acute migraine, and does not cause any symptoms/signs of coronary vasoconstriction. Preclinical experiments and clinical observations argue for a role of selective 5-HT1F agonists in migraine.

Migraine is a common and sometimes debilitating disorder. This review describes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and preventive and symptomatic treatment of migraine, with special attention to drug therapy with the triptans.

This editorial prefaces two papers addressing the possibility that 5-hydroxyptryptamine 1F(5-HT1F) receptor agonism may be a valuable new treatment principle for acute migraine attacks. Nelson et al. (1) describe the preclinical pharmacological profile of the selective 5HT1F receptor agonist Lasmiditan and Ferrari et al. (2) present the first proof-of-concept study. Several years ago, an indole-based 5-HT1F receptor agonist, LY334370, showed promise in the treatment of acute migraine attacks (3), but was not further developed due to compound-related toxicity. Subsequently, the Eli Lilly Company launched a search for an improved molecule. It was requested that this molecule be more selective for the 5-HT1F receptor than LY334370, that it should not have affinity to other 5-HT receptors, in particular 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors, and that it should be based on a new non-indole skeleton. The result of this search was Lasmiditan. In vitro binding studies showed a high binding affinity to the 5-HT1F receptor compared with the binding to the 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors. The molecule also had a relatively low binding affinity to the 5-HT1A receptor. It did not bind to a host of other receptors and ion channels. In agreement with this profile, Lasmiditan did not constrict rabbit saphenous vein rings. Lasmiditan potently inhibited dural plasma protein extravassation and also inhibited electrically stimulated induction of the immediate early gene c-fos in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Finally, Lasmiditan was based on a scaffold not found in any other antimigraine drug. After preclinical development, Lasmiditan was taken over by the CoLucid company for clinical development. Ferrari et al. (2) present the first clinical study where Lasmiditan has been tested in the treatment of acute migraine attacks. A slow intravenous infusion of the drug was used, possibly in order to avoid variation in absorption and better to be able to do pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic modelling. This route of administration required patients to come to the hospital for treatment, a notoriously difficult approach as many patients do not come despite initial expression of interest. The difficulty in recruiting to in-patient treatment were overcome partly by using the relatively novel, highly effective group-sequential adaptive treatment assignment design. This resulted in the selection of an effective dose of 20mg after testing a wide range of doses despite treating only 130 patients. Interestingly, this is very similar to the number needed to demonstrate efficacy of a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist (4). The study by Ferrari et al. (2) proves beyond doubt that 5-HT1F receptor agonism has efficacy in the treatment of acute migraine attacks. While the last word has not been said about the most effective dosing of Lasmiditan, the study allows a very good guess at the doses to be tested in the future development of the compound. After CGRP antagonists, 5-HT1F agonists are the second class of substance to prove that migraine attacks can be treated with a drug that has no vascular activity. Does this mean the end of the vascular hypothesis of migraine? As the only mechanism of migraine, vasodilatation has definitely been ruled out. However, could vasodilatation perhaps play a more limited role? Previous studies using transcranial Doppler demonstrated a slight dilatation on the painful side of a migraine attack compared to the non-painful side (5). It was stated that this amount of dilatation was not itself enough to be the cause of migraine pain but that, combined with sensitisation of peripheral sensory