March 10, 2023 – The FDA has approved a nasal spray designed to supply rapid relief from migraines, pharmaceutical company Pfizer said Friday.
The drug Zavegepant will likely be sold under the brand name Zavzpret and needs to be available in pharmacies from July 2023, the corporate said in a press release. The price of the drug has not yet been announced.
Clinical trials Published in The Lancet Neurology showed that the nasal spray provided migraine relief inside 15 to half-hour of use, with relief lasting as much as 48 hours in lots of patients, Pfizer said. About 1,400 people took part within the trials from October 2020 to August 2021.
“For my migraine patients, one of the most important features of an acute treatment option is how quickly it works,” said Kathleen Mullin, MD, deputy medical director on the New England Institute for Neurology & Headache, within the Pfizer press release.
“As a rapid-absorption nasal spray, Zavzpret offers an alternative treatment option for people who need pain relief or who cannot take oral medications due to nausea or vomiting, so they can quickly return to normal function.”
According to Pfizer, Zavzpret is the primary product of its kind. It works by blocking the peptide receptors that cause the inflammation that usually accompanies migraines.
Pfizer said the drug was approved for the treatment of acute migraines with or without aura – that’s, severe headaches accompanied by unpleasant symptoms resembling dizziness, ringing within the ears, zigzag lines within the field of regard or sensitivity to light.
According to the American Migraine Foundation, 39 million Americans and one billion people worldwide suffer from migraines.