Migraine prevention is a major challenge for society because it is one of the most common debilitating diseases today, in this sense, Ajovy (fremanezumab) is a new drug that can be very useful in this indication.
Migraine isn’t just a headache: it’s a neurological disease. There are more than 50 million patients in Europe who suffer the consequences of this unpredictable disorder. It is a disease that weakens patients, both physically and psychologically. It is common between the ages of 25 and 55 years and has a significant impact on patients’ quality of life, is more common in women and has a certain genetic component.
- It is recognized as a debilitating disease.
- It is true that there is a growing emphasis on improving your prophylaxis to control and reduce its impact.
- However.
- In many cases.
- Adequate intervention is not diagnosed or established.
New therapeutic alternatives, such as Ajovy, are critical to advancing the treatment of the disease. Migraine prevention and symptomatic treatments are important to reduce the impact of migraine on patients.
This new drug has been tested in patients with debilitating migraine. Ajovy reduced migraine days by up to 50% per month. In addition, several studies support its effectiveness as a preventive measure.
Another drug that has been used so far in migraine prophylaxis is propranolol. This drug, marketed as Sumial, is a relaxing drug that is also used to treat anxiety.
Ajovy is the trademark of the monoclonal antibody fremanezumab. It is a solution for injection indicated for the prevention of migraine in adults who present at least four days of migraine per month, in addition, in terms of their recognition and background, it can be said that it has been approved in both the United States and Europe.
Frémanezumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody. It works by attaching to the calcitonin gene peptide (CGRP), preventing it from attaching to its receptor. That’s why it’s called anti-CGRP. CGRP is one of the most abundant neuropeptides that occur in central and peripheral neurons, is a powerful vasodilator and influences pain transmission.
CGRP levels were shown to increase in migraine. When this neuropeptide is released into nerve endings and joins its receptor, it causes the release of inflammatory mediators and also causes a powerful vasodilation.
Therefore, by acting on CGRP, frémanezumab prevents the activation of the sensory fibers of the tri-twin nerve, responsible for the activation of pain, however, the mechanisms by which these substances act are not yet fully known.
Ajovy is a pre-filled injection, easy to use and injected under the skin, subcutaneously. Each injection contains 225 milligrams of antibodies. It can be given in monthly or quarterly doses:
This form of administration is a great advantage because it greatly increases the flexibility of treatment, so if you opt for the quarterly option, four jurisdictions per year will be sufficient to meet the treatment requirements.
The side effects observed were generally benign in nature, some skin reactions have been detected around the injection site, such as:
However, as it is a new drug, it is necessary to continue to study its safety and long-term efficacy, so if adverse reactions are detected, the specialist should be consulted.
In migraine the same treatments do not work for all patients, this is also because not all migraines are the same, there are several medicines available and it is the specialist doctor who must adapt them to each particular case, customizing the treatment.