Frovatriptan for the acute treatment of migraine and prevention of predictable menstrual migraine

Abstract

Frovatriptan is a 5-HT_1B/1D receptor agonist that belongs to the triptan therapeutic class. Relative to other triptans, frovatriptan has a long half-life (26 h) and a low incidence of migraine recurrence (17%). Frovatriptan is indicated for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura, and has a relatively good safety and tolerability profile. Recent studies have also shown that a 6-day regimen of frovatriptan scheduled during the perimenstrual period significantly reduced the incidence and severity of menstrual migraine (MM; attacks that regularly start day -2 to +3 relative to menses). Prevention may be important because MM attacks have been characterized as being of longer duration, more severe and more refractory to treatment than non-MM attacks.

Keywords::

• frovatriptan
• menstrual migraine
• migraine
• short-term prevention
• triptan

Financial & competing interests disclosure

E Anne MacGregor’s department has received research funding from Vernalis to undertake clinical trials with frovatriptan. She has personally received consultant honoraria from Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

The authors wish to thank Dana Franznick, PharmD, and Meg Palmatier, PhD (Complete Healthcare Communications Inc., Chadds Ford, PA, USA), for their assistance in editing the manuscript to conform to submission guidelines. Drs. Franznick and Palmatier received support from Endo Pharmaceuticals, but neither had any input into the preparation of the review, the analysis of the data, nor any role in the writing of the manuscript.