Headache Disorders, Secondary

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 18, 2024 -- Monthly use of erenumab injections (140 mg) is safe and effective in achieving medication overuse headache (MOH) remission in patients with nonopioid chronic migraine (CM) and MOH, according to a study published online Sept. 16 in JAMA Neurology . Stewart J. Tepper, M.D., from the New England Institute for Neurology and Headache in Stamford, Connecticut, and colleagues assessed the safety and efficacy of erenumab in patients with nonopioid CM-MOH. The analysis included 584 participants randomly assigned to erenumab (70 mg or 140 mg) or placebo, once monthly for 24 weeks. The researchers found that at month 6, 69.1 percent of participants in the erenumab 140-mg group (odds ratio, 2.01; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.33 to 3.05; P < 0.001 versus placebo) and 60.3 percent in the erenumab 70-mg group (odds ratio, 1.37; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.92 to 2.05; P = 0.13 versus placebo) achieved MOH remission versus 52.6 percent of participants in the placebo group. From baseline, least squares mean change in average monthly acute headache medication days was –9.4 days in the erenumab 140-mg group (difference from placebo, –2.7) and –7.8 days in the erenumab 70-mg group (difference from placebo, –1.2). Throughout the treatment period, MOH remission was sustained in 61.3 percent of participants in the erenumab 140-mg group, 49.5 percent of participants in the 70-mg group, and 37.6 percent in the placebo group. The safety profile was similar to that seen in previous trials, with treatment-emergent adverse event incidence in the combined erenumab group of 66.8 percent, including most commonly constipation (15.2 percent) and COVID-19 (13.9 percent). "This study is the first controlled trial to provide American Academy of Neurology class I evidence of beneficial effects of a migraine preventive treatment in patients with CM-MOH (nonopioid)," the authors write. Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Amgen, which manufactures erenumab and funded the study. Abstract/Full Text Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

OAKLAND, Calif., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Flat Medical, a pioneering medtech company, today announced it has been awarded a national group purchasing agreement and Technology Breakthrough Designation for Regional Anesthesia Trays with Premier, Inc. Effective May 1, 2024, the new agreement allows Premier members, at their discretion, to take advantage of special pricing and terms pre-negotiated by Premier for the EpiFaith® Syringe for epidural placements. Premier offers Breakthrough Technology designations to innovations that offer a major advantage in terms of patient safety, clinical outcomes and operational efficiencies. The EpiFaith® Syringe is a ground-breaking medical device designed to enhance patient safety and improve outcomes during epidural procedures. It features a proprietary visualization technology that transforms the tactile loss-of-resistance (LOR) technique into a visual signal, enabling anesthesia and interventional pain providers to identify the epidural space more accurately and objectively. This approach helps reduce the risk of potential complications associated with epidural placements, such as post-dural puncture headaches, central nervous system injuries, or paralysis. "We are honored by Premier's confidence in our EpiFaith® product line and eager to collaborate with clinicians across their member facilities," stated Danielle Faulk, Director of Sales at Flat Medical. "Epidural procedures are commonplace in labor analgesia, surgical anesthesia, and chronic pain management, yet they carry inherent risks. The EpiFaith® Syringe is engineered to enhance safety and simplify epidural access for anesthesia and interventional pain specialists, mitigating the potential for adverse complications. We are delighted that Premier has chosen to make our innovative epidural solution accessible to its members." The EpiFaith® Syringe has been tested and used in several renowned hospitals across the United States, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan, demonstrating its efficacy and potential to revolutionize epidural procedures. Premier is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of approximately 4,350 U.S. hospitals and 300,000 other providers to transform healthcare. With integrated data and analytics, collaboratives, supply chain solutions, consulting and other services, Premier enables better care and outcomes at a lower cost. About Flat Medical Flat Medical is a pioneering medtech company dedicated to developing innovative safety solutions for epidural and central line placements. Its flagship products, EpiFaith and EpiFaith CV, are at the forefront of patient safety, providing medical professionals with advanced tools to ensure successful and secure procedures. Headquartered in Taipei City, Taiwan, Flat Medical is committed to making a difference in the healthcare industry by creating ground-breaking medical technologies that prioritize patient outcomes. SOURCE Flat Medical Co., Ltd.

MINNEAPOLIS, March 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- People who have headaches after experiencing concussions may also be more likely to have higher levels of iron in areas of the brain, which is a sign of injury to brain cells, according to a preliminary study released March 5, 2024, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 76th Annual Meeting taking place April 13–18, 2024, in person in Denver and online. "These results suggest that iron accumulation in the brain can be used as a biomarker for concussion and post-traumatic headache, which could potentially help us understand the underlying processes that occur with these conditions," said study author Simona Nikolova, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. The study involved 60 people who had post-traumatic headache due to mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion. The injuries were due to a fall for 45% of the people, 30% were due to a motor vehicle accident and 12% were due to a fight. Other causes were the head hitting against or by an object and sports injuries. A total of 46% of the people had one mild traumatic brain injury in their lifetime, 17% had two, 16% had three, 5% had four and 16% had five or more mild traumatic brain injuries. The people with mild traumatic brain injuries were matched with 60 people who had not had concussions or post-traumatic headache. All the participants had brain scans to look at iron levels in various areas of the brain, using an indirect measure for iron burden. For those with mild traumatic brain injuries, the scans were taken an average of 25 days after the injury. The study found that compared to the people without concussion, those with a history of concussion and headaches had higher levels of iron accumulation in several areas of the brain, including the left occipital area, right cerebellum and right temporal lobe. Researchers also found that the more concussions people had over their lifetime and the more frequent their headaches were, the more likely they were to have higher levels of iron accumulation in certain areas of the brain. They also found that the more time that had passed since the concussion occurred, the more likely people were to have higher levels of iron accumulation in areas of the brain. "Previous studies have shown that iron accumulation can affect how areas of the brain interact with each other," Nikolova said. "This research may help us better understand how the brain responds and recovers from concussion." Nikolova said that since the study used an indirect measure of iron burden, it's possible that the change in that measure could be due to other factors such as hemorrhage or changes in tissue water rather than iron accumulation. The study was supported by the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. Learn more about concussion at BrainandLife.org, home of the American Academy of Neurology's free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life® on Facebook, X and Instagram. When posting to social media channels about this research, we encourage you to use the American Academy of Neurology's Annual Meeting hashtag #AANAM. The American Academy of Neurology is the world's largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with over 40,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit AAN.com or find us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. SOURCE American Academy of Neurology