New migraine pill could help thousands in England

The first oral treatment for preventing both episodic and chronic migraines could soon be available on the NHS in England.

Health experts said up to 170,000 people could benefit from taking the drug, atogepant, to prevent severe head pain, which can be debilitating.  It has been recommended for those who have not responded well to other medications or cannot receive injections.

One migraine charity has described it as a positive step and said it hoped access to the drug would be “swift”.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended the drug, which comes in tablet form, after clinical trials suggested it was effective in some adults.

Rob Music, chief executive of the Migraine Trust, said it was good news as migraines could be very “debilitating”, and added “It is positive to see even more therapies emerging for people with migraine, as many still rely on treatments developed for other conditions.”

However, the charity warned that many people had struggled to access similar new drugs, due to a lack of knowledge among doctors, and long waiting lists for specialists.

Mr Music went on to say “We now need to ensure access is swift, so that migraine patients can benefit from them as quickly as possible.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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