Telcagepant is a new experimental drug showing encouraging results in the treatment of migraines. The drug is discussed in a study published online in the journal The Lancet.
The drug is in clinical trials at the moment. It inhibits calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptors that play a role in the transmission of pain to the brain.
This experimental therapy relieves pain like other drugs, including triplanes, but does not cause constriction of blood vessels. This often poses serious problems for people with heart disease.
Professor Lars Edvinsson of the University Hospital, Lund, Sweden, and Dr Mattias Linde of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and St Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway co-authored the study.
Professor Edvinsson explains: "The clinical trials we have reviewed provide evidence that CGRP receptors are important molecular targets for development of antimigraine drugs."
An estimated 15% of the population suffers from migraines.