Emgality demonstrates reduction in frequency, duration, and pain severity in patients with episodic and chronic migraine.- Eli LIlly

Emgality (galcanezumab-gnlm) reduces total pain burden in a recent analysis of patients with episodic and chronic migraine. Total pain burden is a patient-centric measure that combines the monthly frequency, duration, and pain severity of migraine. Additionally, total pain burden demonstrated significant associations with patient functioning and quality of life. Eli Lilly and Company's Emgality is the first and only migraine preventive CGRP medication to be assessed in this manner, providing a more complete picture of how Emgality reduced frequency, duration, and severity of migraine pain. These results were presented virtually at the 62nd American Headache Society Congress during National Migraine Awareness Month and at the 72nd American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in April. "Total pain burden moves beyond the current and somewhat limited approach for describing migraine pain," said Gudarz Davar, M.D., vice president, neurology development, Lilly Bio-Medicines. "We're delighted that Emgality reduced the combined impact of migraine frequency, duration, and pain severity. We believe that viewing migraine through the lens of total pain burden provides a more holistic approach for people with migraine and doctors to discuss the personal pain experience." This post hoc analysis of Emgality versus placebo used data from three randomized, double-blind studies in patients with episodic migraine (two pooled six-month studies – EVOLVE-1 and EVOLVE-2; Emgality n=435, placebo n=872) and chronic migraine (one three-month study – REGAIN; Emgality n=273, placebo n=535). Patients reported their headache frequency, duration, and severity using an electronic diary. Monthly total pain burden was calculated as severity-weighted duration by multiplying hours of migraine recorded and pain severity (0=none, 1=mild, 2=moderate, 3=severe) for each migraine day and summing these composite measurements over the migraine days in a month. The mean change from baseline in monthly total pain burden was compared between Emgality and placebo groups. Patients on Emgality experienced statistically fewer severity-weighted hours of pain than at baseline at each month compared with patients on placebo (p<0.0001 for each comparison). in episodic migraine, patients on emgality experienced 68.6 fewer severity-weighted hours of pain per month on average than at baseline and compared to those on placebo who experienced 36.2 fewer hours (mean difference="32.3" fewer hours, 95% ci: 24.2 to 40.3). in chronic migraine, patients on emgality experienced 102.6 fewer severity-weighted hours of pain per month on average than at baseline and compared to those on placebo who experienced 44.4 fewer hours of pain than at baseline (mean difference="58.2" severity-weighted hours, 95% ci: 37.1 to 79.3). "the impact of migraine is profound, and individualized management goes beyond how many days per month a person experiences migraine. total pain burden serves as a more comprehensive measure and provides a deeper understanding for us and our patients to describe their pain," said jessica ailani, m.d., director, medstar georgetown headache center, professor of clinical neurology, georgetown university hospital. "as a clinician, i'm pleased that emgality may help my patients achieve their preventive treatment goals. i am excited the results of this study show a positive impact on the cumulative burden of frequency, duration, and pain severity of migraine.">