Preferences and perceptions of 617 migraine patients on acute and preventive migraine treatment attributes and clinical trial endpoints

ABSTRACT

Background

To identify the preferences and perceptions of migraine patients for acute and preventive treatment options and to investigate which treatment outcomes are the most important.

Design and Methods

The authors performed a choice-format survey in a cohort of migraine patients from Greece and Cyprus. A self-administered questionnaire developed in collaboration with the Greek Society of Migraine Patients was used.

Results

Questionnaires were collected from 617 migraine patients. Efficacy was preferred over safety as the single most important parameter, both in acute and preventive treatment. When analyzing single outcomes, patients prioritized a complete pain remission at 1-hour post-dose for acute therapies. Regarding migraine prevention, a 75% reduction in frequency, intensity of pain, accompanying symptoms and acute medication intake were considered as most important. Conversely, outcomes routinely used in clinical trials, namely complete or partial pain remission at 2-hours post-dose for acute treatment and 50% or 30% reduction in migraine frequency for prevention, were not deemed particularly relevant. Tablet formulation was mostly preferred, both in acute and preventive treatment. Conclusion: Listening to patients’ needs may add a piece of the puzzle that is generally missing in clinical practice and often explains the lack of adherence in both acute and preventative anti-migraine therapies.

KEYWORDS:

• Acute treatment
• clinical endpoints
• migraine
• preventive treatment
• patient preferences
• patient perceptions

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14737175.2024.2365312

Ethics Statement

The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Mediterraneo Hospital (Glyfada, Greece) (301/31 May 2023) and informed consent was obtained from each patient before publishing the results of the current study.

Declaration of Interest

M Vikelis has received investigator fees from Allergan/AbbVie, Teva, and Lundbeck; fees as an advisor from Allergan/AbbVie, Eli Lilly and Company, Teva, Lundbeck, and Pfizer and has been provided with travel grants from Allergan/AbbVie, Teva and Pfizer. D Rikos has received investigator fees and/or has served as an advisory board member and/or as a consultant and/or has received travel grants from Allergan/AbbVie, Novartis, Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Company, and Teva. AA Argyriou has received investigator fees and/or has served as an advisory board member and/or as a consultant and/or has been given travel grants from Allergan/AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Teva, Lundbeck, and Pfizer. D Rallis has received investigator fees and/or has served as an advisory board member and/or as a consultant and/or received travel grants from Allergan/AbbVie, Novartis, and Teva. T Karapanayiotides has received speaker fees and/or has served as an advisory board member and/or received travel grants from Allergan/AbbVie, Eli Lilly and Company, Teva, and Pfizer. N Dimisianos has received travel grants from Novartis, Merck and Co. and Teva. P Soldatos has received investigator fees and/or served as an advisory board member and/or has consulted for and/or has received travel grants from Allergan/AbbVie, Novartis, Eli Lilly and Teva. K Notas has received investigator fees and/or served as an advisory board member and/or consulted for and/or received travel grants from Allergan/AbbVie, Novartis, Teva, Eli Lilly and Pfizer. E Giakoumakis has received investigator fees and/or served on the advisory board member of and/or consulted for and/or travel grants from Allergan/AbbVie, Novartis, Lundbeck, and Teva. GS Vlachos has received investigator fees from Amgen, Novartis, AbbVie, Eisai and Eli Lilly and Company. G Xiromerisiou has received investigator fees and/or has served as an advisory board member and/or acted as a consultant for and/or received travel grants from Allergan/AbbVie, Teva, UCB, Novartis, ITF Hellas and Innovis. J Rudolf has received investigator fees and/or has served as an advisory board member for and/or acted as a consultant for and/or received travel grants from Novartis, Teva and AbbVie. EV Dermitzakis has received investigator fees and/or served as an advisory board member and/or acted as a consultant for and/or received travel grants from Allergan/AbbVie, Teva, Eli Lilly and Company, Tikun, and Pfizer. AM Rapoport has received fees as an advisor for AbbVie, Biohaven, Cala Health, Dr. Reddy’s, Pfizer, Satsuma, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Theranica; he is on the Speakers Bureau of AbbVie, Dr. Reddy’s, Impel, Pfizer and Teva. 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.

Reviewer disclosures

One reviewer declares that, in the past three years, they were formally employed by Lundbeck A/S. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no other relevant financial relationships or otherwise to disclose.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Author contributions

Study concept and design: M Vikelis, AA Argyriou, D Rikos, EV Dermitzakis

Acquisition of data: M Vikelis, D Rikos, AA Argyriou, P Papachristou, D Rallis, T Karapanayiotides, A Galanopoulos, K Spingos, N Dimisianos, E Giakoumakis, P Zavridis, K Notas, GS Vlachos, P Soldatos, K Bilias, G Xiromerisiou, J Rudolf, EV Dermitzakis

Analysis and interpretation of data: AA Argyriou, D Rikos, EV Dermitzakis, M Vikelis, G Xiromerisiou, J Rudolf, AM Rapoport

Drafting of the manuscript: M Vikelis, D Rikos, AA Argyriou, P Papachristou, D Rallis, T Karapanayiotides, A Galanopoulos, K Spingos, N Dimisianos, E Giakoumakis, P Zavridis, K Notas, GS Vlachos, P Soldatos, K Bilias, G Xiromerisiou, J Rudolf, EV Dermitzakis, AM Rapoport.

Revising it for intellectual content and final approval of the completed manuscript: M Vikelis, D Rikos, AA Argyriou, P Papachristou, D Rallis, T Karapanayiotides, A Galanopoulos, K Spingos, N Dimisianos, E Giakoumakis, P Zavridis, K Notas, GS Vlachos, P Soldatos, K Bilias, G Xiromerisiou, J Rudolf, EV Dermitzakis, AM Rapoport.

Final approval of the version of the paper to be published: All authors. All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.