Category: Headache / Migraine

The Museum of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) is launching the Migraine Trail to raise awareness of the condition during Migraine Awareness Week from 2-8 September 2007. One in eight people suffer from migraines and the Migraine Awareness Week seeks to increase public awareness of this debilitating neurological condition.

TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TPTX) announced that it has initiated a Phase I multiple dose clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of tezampanel given as a subcutaneous injection to healthy male and female volunteers once-daily for four consecutive days.

A new guideline to improve the diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue syndrome/ myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy) (CFS/ME) in adults and children was launched yesterday 22 August. CFS/ME is a relatively common illness, affecting an estimated 193,000 people. The condition can be disabling, involving a complex range of symptoms, the most common being fatigue, but including headaches, sleep disturbance and muscle pain.

Migraine sufferers report worse health-related quality of life than the general population and have similar health status scores as people with debilitating chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease. A recent study, “Migraine frequency and health utilities: findings from a multi-site survey,” published in Value in Health, surveyed 150 migraine patients in the U.S. to study how migraine frequency affects quality of life.

A new UK study suggests that at high doses the drug verapamil can cause heart problems. The researchers recommend all patients being treated with the drug for cluster headaches should have frequent electrocardiograms (EKGs) to check for irregular hearbeats.

A drug increasingly used to prevent cluster headaches can cause heart problems, according to a study published in the August 14, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Those taking the drug verapamil for cluster headaches should be closely monitored with frequent electrocardiograms (EKGs) for potential development of irregular heartbeats.Cluster headache is a rare, severe form of headache that is more common in men.

Actavis Group, the international generic pharmaceuticals company, today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to market Propranolol Hydrochloride extended-release capsules. Distribution of the product will commence immediately.

Women who have migraine headaches with visual symptoms (or aura) may be at increased risk for stroke compared to women who do not have migraines, researchers reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.The risk association between stroke and migraines also increases when other factors are added, such as recent onset of these headaches, smoking and oral contraceptive use.

A new US study suggests that women who have migraines with aura (seeing spots and flashing lights), particularly those who smoke or use oral contraceptives, are at increased risk of having a stroke compared with women who do not have migraines.

TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TPTX) today announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase IIb clinical trial of tezampanel for the treatment of acute migraine headache. Tezampanel is an AMPA/kainate (AK) receptor antagonist that offers a non-opioid, non-vascular and non-serotonergic approach to the management of pain and represents a potentially new and promising alternative to current migraine treatments.