The First Shot to Stop Chronic Migraines Just Secured FDA Approval

Migraine sufferers unhappy with current treatments will soon have a new option to consider. Aimovig, a monthly shot, just received approval from the Food and Drug Administration and is now eligible for sale, CBS News reports. The shot is the first FDA-approved drug of its kind designed to stop migraines before they start and prevent them over the long term.

As Mental Floss reported back in February before the drug was cleared, the new therapy is designed to tackle a key component of migraine pain. Past studies have shown that levels of a protein called calcitonin gene–related peptide (CGRP) spike in chronic sufferers when they're experiencing the splitting headaches. In clinical trials, patients injected with the CGRP-blocking medicine in Aimovig saw their monthly migraine episodes cut in half (from eight a month to just four). Some subjects reported no migraines at all in the month after receiving the shot.

Researchers have only recently begun to untangle the mysteries of chronic migraine treatment. Until this point, some of the best options patients had were medications that weren't even developed to treat the condition, like antidepressants, epilepsy drugs, and Botox. In addition to yielding spotty results, many of these treatments also come with severe side effects. The most serious side effects observed in the Aimovig studies were colds and respiratory infections.

Monthly Aimovig shots will cost $6900 a year without insurance. Now that the drug has been approved, a flood of competitors will likely follow: This year alone, three similar shots are expected to receive FDA clearance.