US approves first monoclonal antibody to prevent migraines

The first of a new class of drugs for prevention of headaches in adults has won approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Amgen’s monoclonal antibody Aimovig (erenumab) comes in a disposable auto injector for home use once a month. It blocks receptors to the protein fragment CGRP (calcitonin gene related peptide), which has been known for decades to be overproduced in people with chronic migraine. It will be available to patients by the end of this week, Amgen said.

In phase IIIb results presented last month at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting erenumab cut the number of days …