Teva's Migraine Prevention Drug Meets Exploratory Endpoints

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd TEVA announced trial results Tuesday that could bode well for migraine patients. 

What Happened

At the Fifth Congress of the European Academy of Neurology held in Oslo, Norway, Teva presented additional positive results from a Phase 3b exploratory study dubbed FOCUS that evaluated its migraine drug fremanezumab in adults who previously experienced inadequate responses to two to four classes of preventive treatments.

Teva's fremanezumab was approved by the FDA in September 2018 in an injection formulation for the preventative treatment of migraines in adults under the brand name Ajovy. 

It is a humanized monoclonal antibody and the first and only anti-CGRP treatment for preventing migraines in 675mg quarterly dosing and 225mg monthly dosing.

The late-stage study that evaluated the efficacy and safety of fremanezumab showed a reduction in monthly average migraine days, a reduction in migraine-related symptoms and improvements in depression status, work productivity and activity impairment, according to Teva. 

Why It's Important

Migraines, the company pointed out, are the second leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide, with a profound impact on patients, their families and friends and on society as a whole.

There are limited treatment options for this neurological disease.

Teva said it expects to submit the full results of the FOCUS study for publication later in 2019.

The stock was trading higher by 0.21% at $9.34 at the time of publication Tuesday. 

Related Links:

The Week Ahead In Biotech: Pending Clinical Readouts In Focus

Attention Biotech Investors: Mark Your Calendar For These July PDUFA Dates