Biohaven, the manufacturer of rimegepant (Nurtec ODT) just received FDA approval to market this drug for the prevention of migraines. Rimegepant was approved in January of 2020 for the acute treatment of migraine headaches. It is the first drug to be approved for both acute and preventive therapy of migraines.
Rimegepant is one of six drugs that block the action of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). CGRP has many important functions in the body but the release of excessive amounts of it in the brain can trigger a migraine. Four of the CGRP migraine drugs are given by injection and they are used only for the prevention of migraine attacks. Rimegepant and ubrogepant (Ubrelvy) are taken by mouth as needed, whenever a migraine strikes. These are truly novel drugs that have dramatically improved the lives of many migraine sufferers.
Rimegepant stays in the body longer – it has a half-life of 10-12 hours, while ubrogepant’s half-life is 7-8 hours. Another difference is that rimegepant dissolves in your mouth (ODT after Nurtec stands for orally disintegrating tablet), while ubrogepant is a solid tablet that is swallowed.
In clinical trials, rimegepant was noticed to provide relief of migraine that persisted for up to 48 hours. Because of this sustained effect, the researchers decided to test this drug for the prevention of migraine attacks by giving it every other day. And rimegepant passed this test. The official FDA-approved label says that for the prevention of migraines, one tablet of rimegepant should be taken every other day. For the acute treatment of migraines, the directions say to take 1 tablet a day, as needed.
The insurers typically pay for 8 tablets a month, although a few of my patients have been able to get 16. Now, with its approval for the prevention, patients will be able to get 16 tablets a month. It is possible that some patients may be able to get an additional 8 tablets for acute therapy. For most, however, 16 tablets a month should be sufficient.
The safety profile of rimegepant (as well as ubrogepant) is truly remarkable. The new rimegepant label states that “The most common side effects of NURTEC ODT were nausea (2.7%) and stomach pain/ indigestion (2.4%).” It also states that these are not the only possible side effects but their frequency is very low. Just like with any drugs, an allergic reaction is also possible.
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