How much do calcitonin gene-related peptide monoclonal antibodies improve the quality of life in migraine? A patient's perspective

Curr Opin Neurol. 2019 Jun;32(3):395-404. doi: 10.1097/WCO.0000000000000689.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Migraine is a prevalent and extremely disabling brain disorder, with an impact on the individual, family, workplace and society. This review focuses on describing Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide Monoclonal Antibodies (CGRP-mABs) efficacy on improving the quality of life (QoL) and decreasing the disability and impact of migraine measured with patient related outcomes (PROs), on patients who participated in clinical trials with erenumab, fremanezumab, galcanezumab and eptinezumab. The goal is to better reflect the effect of these preventive migraine treatments in the daily life of our patients.

Recent findings: CGRP-mABs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) as the first migraine specific treatment for the prevention of migraine. In clinical trials, CGRP-mABs have proven to achieve their primary endpoint which is to reduce the number of headache days, and also have shown to have an impact on disability, QoL and workplace productivity.

Summary: CGRP-mABs have an impact on the disability, QoL, workplace productivity and global impression of improvement of migraine, which will translate into changes in the real world of migraine patients who are treated with CGRP-mABs.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / therapeutic use*
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / immunology*
  • Disabled Persons
  • Humans
  • Migraine Disorders / drug therapy*
  • Migraine Disorders / psychology*
  • Quality of Life

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide