Novartis' Aimovig bests topiramate in migraine prevention trial

Novartis (NOVN: VX) today announced data from HER-MES X, the first and only randomized, double blind, double-dummy, active-controlled, parallel-group Phase IV study of Aimovig (erenumab) against topiramate, a generic anticonvulsant, in patients with episodic and chronic migraine.

The results, published in Cephalalgia, showed that Aimovig had a superior tolerability profile compared with topiramate, with a significantly lower treatment discontinuation rate due to adverse events (10.6% with Aimovig versus 38.9% with topiramate). Aimovig also demonstrated superior efficacy against topiramate, with patients having a significantly higher probability of achieving a clinically meaningful improvement in migraine frequency when they were randomized to Aimovig compared to topiramate (55.4% vs 31.2%) The positive outcomes in the Aimovig group translated into a major improvement in quality of life and in functional impairment for the patients, the Swiss pharma giant said.

“HER-MES is the first study that directly compared the therapeutic effect of an antibody and a small molecule in migraine prevention,” said Prof Uwe Reuter, Managing Medical Director at Charité Universitätsmedizin. “The positive outcomes strengthen the position of erenumab as a safe and effective migraine prevention treatment that can significantly enhance quality of life for migraine patients with an improved dosing regimen,” he noted.