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Combo migraine drug beat single drug therapy: study
2007-04-04
An experimental drug that combines two commonly used treatments helped quell migraine symptoms better than either one alone, a new U.S. study released on Tuesday suggested. The research, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, tested experimental drug combination Trexima against either drug used alone. Pozen Inc. is developing Trexima with British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline's. The drug combines Glaxo's popular migraine drug Imitrex -- known generically as sumatriptan -- with the older painkiller naproxen sodium. The drug combo attacks different pathways in the brain believed to contribute to migraines, which affect more than 28 million people in the United States. Migraine symptoms include throbbing headache pain, nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. The multibillion-dollar market for prescription migraine drugs is dominated by a class know as triptans, of which Glaxo's Imitrex is the most widely used. Triptans are used to stop but not prevent migraines. The drugs aim or relieve pain by allowing better blood flow. Adding naproxen, an older non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, helps extend the relief. Dr. Jan Brandes of the Nashville Neuroscience Group and colleagues conducted two identical, randomized studies involving about 1,500 patients each at 118 U.S. clinical centers. Patients were diagnosed as having migraine and received study treatment for a moderate or severe migraine attack. They were randomly selected to get the combo pill, sumatriptan only, naproxen sodium only, or a dummy pill. The researchers found the combo pill worked better than either treatment alone. Researchers believe that might be because it targets migraine on multiple fronts. Pozen last month said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted its marketing application. The company said the combination drug could be available as early as August 1.
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