a new drug to fight migraine

Migraine, a disease that affects 10 million French people, and a new drug available in pharmacies. Details from Martin Ducret.

Martin Ducret, doctor and journalist at Doctor’s Daily, tells us today about migraine, a disease that affects 10 million French people, and more particularly about a new drug to treat it, Vydura.

franceinfo: Before telling us about this new treatment, explain to us: what is a migraine?

Martin Ducret: Well, it’s a headache – a headache in medical jargon – which develops through repeated attacks of strong throbbing pain (as if the heartbeat were pounding in the head), often on only one side of the skull, and accompanied by nausea, difficulty tolerating noise, light or smells.

The patient is then forced to stop his activities and isolate himself in peace and darkness. Without treatment, a migraine attack lasts a few hours, sometimes up to 72 hours, then the pain stops completely, until the next episode. In certain cases, migraine can be preceded by an aura, that is to say neurological disorders, warning of the attack such as visual disturbances, this is the famous ophthalmic migraine.

How is this disease treated?

So for migraine attacks, two families of drugs are prescribed as first line: non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen, and triptans. The problem is that 30 to 40% of people with migraine are refractory, or have a contraindication, to these two types of treatment.

But the good news for these patients is that, since October 10, a new treatment has been available in pharmacies, Vydura. “This oral medication is very effective in treating migraine attacks, but also as a preventive treatment for migraine. Dr Dominique Valade, neurologist and former head of the emergency headache center at Lariboisière hospital in Paris, explained to me.

But for the moment, this treatment is not reimbursed by Social Security?

Yes indeed. For Medicare, this treatment requires additional evidence of its effectiveness, compared to other treatments available on the market. Except that this drug, manufactured by the Pfizer laboratory, costs too much. At at least 25 euros per tablet in pharmacies, it is not accessible to all wallets.

For many neurologists, like Dr. Valade, “no time to wait, Vydura should already be reimbursed”. This is also the opinion of migraine patient associations. We hope that they will be heard by Health Insurance.

Medicare site on migraines