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| |  IHS: Almotriptan Provides Sustained Freedom from Migraine Pain By Jill Stein Special to DG News NEW YORK, NY -- July 2, 2001 -- New findings suggest that almotriptan, 12.5 mg, is comparable to sumatriptan, 100 mg, in helping patients with acute migraine achieve sustained pain-free periods. Dr. David W. Dodick, with Mayo Clinic Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona, presented data at the 10th Congress of the International Headache Society (IHS), assessing the efficacy of almotriptan for the treatment of acute migraine using the percentage of sustained pain-free patients as the outcome measure. The effect of almotriptan on the percentage of patients achieving a sustained pain-free state was evaluated from three randomized, double- blind, placebo- controlled trials. Two trials evaluated almotriptan 6.25 mg and 12.5 mg, and one trial evaluated almotriptan 12.5 mg and sumatriptan 100 mg. The three trials included patients 18 to 65 years of age who had a history of migraines with or without aura for at least one year. Individuals with cardiovascular disease or any other significant medical condition were ineligible. Patients were given two doses of the assigned medication and instructed to take one dose at the onset of a moderate to severe migraine headache. The second dose was to be taken if a relapse occurred. Sustained pain-free status was defined as a decrease in pain severity from moderate or severe at the time of medication administration to no pain at two hours after drug administration, without subsequent relapse between two and 24 hours and without the use of escape medication. Overall, 1,791 patients were included in the analysis. Of these, 1,078 (60.5 percent) had moderate pain, and 713 (39.5 percent) had severe pain at baseline. In two placebo-controlled studies, the percentage of patients achieving a sustained pain-free state was significantly higher in both almotriptan 6.25 mg and 12.5 mg groups than with placebo, Dr. Dodick said. When stratified according to baseline pain severity, a sustained pain-free state was noted in significantly more patients receiving almotriptan 12.5 mg than placebo. Overall, almotriptan 12.5 mg was comparable to sumatriptan 100 mg with respect to the proportion of patients achieving sustained pain-free status.
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