Botox For Migraines Yields 'Small To Modest' Benefit - Study
April 24 2012 - 4:44PM
Dow Jones News
Injections of Botox, the wrinkle-fighting drug marketed by
Allergan Inc. (AGN), were associated with small to modest benefits
for chronic migraine sufferers but not for those affected by
episodic migraine, according to a study published online in a
medical journal Tuesday.
Chronic migraine sufferers are defined as people who suffer from
headaches on 15 or more days per month. Episodic sufferers are
those who suffer from headaches for fewer than 15 days.
The study, published on the website of the Journal of the
American Medical Association Wednesday, was an analysis of previous
randomized controlled trials comparing botulinum toxin, or Botox,
with a placebo or other treatments for headaches among adults.
Botox was associated with a reduction in the number of headaches
per month from 19.5 to 17.2 per month for chronic migraine.
"There is clearly evidence of benefit for people who are
suffering from chronic migraine," said principal investigator
Jeffrey L. Jackson, who is also a professor of medicine at the
Medical College of Wisconsin. He doesn't receive funding from
Allergan.
"The benefit is on average pretty small," he said. He also noted
that "the potential for a placebo effect is huge." The analysis
found strong association of placebo with improvement in headaches
over time.
Mitchell Brin, Allergan's chief scientific officer for Botox,
said the findings are "very supportive of our label." But he said
the analysis doesn't take into account other variables, such as
cumulative hours of headache.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Botox as a
treatment for preventing chronic migraine headaches in 2010, but so
far literature on its effectiveness has been mixed.
The indication is an important one for Allergan. The company
said on its fourth-quarter earnings call that the U.S. launch of
Botox for migraine is progressing "better than planned." Wells
Fargo said in a note earlier this month that based on recent market
share data, it expects U.S. sales of more than $260 million in
2012.
Allergan shares closed Tuesday at $94.18, up 38 cents on the day
and nearly 21% over the past 12 months.
-By Anjali Athavaley, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-4912;
anjali.athavaley@dowjones.com
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