Drug companies are racing to the market with a new class of pills meant to stop migraines in their tracks — a potential boon for both patients and investors, if the new medications prove both effective and safe.
An estimated 37 million Americans suffer from acute migraines, and analysts expect the two leading drugs, from Allergan and Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, to bring in more than $1 billion apiece at their commercial peaks.
Known as CGRP inhibitors, the drugs target a protein fragment called calcitonin gene-related peptide, which plays a role in the process that turns a misfiring neuron into a full-blown migraine. While some injectable medicines in this class are meant to prevent migraines by blocking CGRP over a matter of weeks, the pills are designed to be fast-acting, swallowed at the onset of pain in hopes of warding off the worst symptoms within a couple hours.
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