https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3758-8381
Abstract
Purpose
Erenumab-aooe (erenumab, Aimovig®)—a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor—is approved for the prevention of migraine in adults in a number of countries. The approved monthly dosage of erenumab (70 and/or 140 mg, depending on the country) is available as a single, prefilled autoinjector for subcutaneous administration in most countries where it is approved. This study evaluated the patient-reported ease-of-use, ability to learn self-injection, confidence in performing a simulated self-injection, and ergonomics of a prefilled autoinjector device for erenumab (SureClick® autoinjector) in individuals in the US with migraine.
Patients and Methods
Participants with migraine headaches, all of whom were naïve to the use of an autoinjector for migraine or another condition and CGRP therapy, were recruited from three US-based headache centers. Each participant received a supervised demonstration of the autoinjector during a 30-minute one-on-one session using a standard protocol-driven script. Participants then practiced a simulated injection into an artificial tissue pad using the autoinjector and were asked to rate their agreement with 19 statements about the device on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = completely disagree, 2 = somewhat disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = somewhat agree, 5 = completely agree).
Results
Participants who completed the study and provided responses (n = 204) were between 21 and 85 years of age, inclusive, and 73% were female. More than 90% of the participants completely or somewhat agreed with 16/19 statements relating to the device, including ease-of-use, ability to self-inject, and confidence in using the device, with an average rating of >4.5 on the 5-point Likert scale. Participants rated the size of the device and the compactness of the device as 4.23/5 and 4.26/5, respectively.
Conclusion
The erenumab-prefilled disposable autoinjector was consistently highly rated across categories by individuals with migraine, with an average rating of >4.5 on the 5-point Likert scale; results were consistent across the three study centers.
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by Amgen Inc. The authors would like to thank the participants and research personnel for their assistance in this study. Medical writing and editorial support were provided by Marie-Louise Ricketts, PhD; and Claire Daniele, PhD, of AlphaBioCom (King of Prussia, PA), and funded by Amgen Inc.
Author Contributions
All authors contributed to the study design, data collection and interpretation, data analysis, drafting or revising the article, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Disclosure
Jennifer Mead and Soeren Rasmussen are employees of Amgen Inc., and hold Amgen Inc., stock/stock options. Ryan Dammerman was an employee of Amgen Inc., at the time the study was conducted. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.