Erenumab Improves Daily Functioning and Quality of Life

Andreas Straube, MD

Interim analysis of erenumab (Aimovig; Novartis) from the TELESCOPE study confirmed the monoclonal antibody’s real-world and long-term safety and benefit in patients with episodic and chronic migraine.^1,2

Data included 109 patients from Germany, and showed an average reduction of 8 migraine days with erenumab therapy. Additionally, 80% of the patients felt a reduction of intensity and 92% of patients had a reduction of frequency of their attacks. Using global impression scores, treating physicians noted 80% of the patients were rated as “much improved” or “very much improved” after receiving erenumab.

These data from TELESCOPE were accepted to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2020 Annual Meeting. Erenumab, the first-in-class fully human monoclonal antibody against calcitonin-gene-related-peptide (CGRP) was approved by the FDA in May 2018 for the prevention of migraine after it showed significant improvement in 3 different clinical trials.

In addition to the aforementioned reduction of migraine days, treatment with erenumab triggered a first response in 75% of patients after their first injection.

“These newly shared data reinforce Novartis’s commitment to reimagine migraine care and add to the growing body of real world and long-term evidence demonstrating the efficacy of Aimovig for migraine prevention across the migraine spectrum,” Estelle Vester-Blokland, MD, global head, Neuroscience Medical Affairs, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, said in a statement.

The TELESCOPE study included data from 70 headache centers from July 2019 to December 2019, and initially aimed to characterize the use of erenumab with regard to therapy decision, patient profiles, and quality of life from the treating patient’s perspective. Following that evaluation, each center documented the treatment effects and satisfaction of treatment outcomes in 10—20 individual and consecutive patients with episodic and chronic migraine already into 3 months of erenumab treatment.

Novartis also announced interim results from the real-world PERISCOPE study, which included 91 patients who received erenumab with an overall mean disease duration of 18 years. Data showed that 85% of patients who received erenumab could cope better with daily activities and 83% lost fewer days to migraine since the start of their treatment.²

Long-term data results from a 4.5-year interim analysis of the open-label treatment phase of the phase 2 clinical trial demonstrated sustained reductions in monthly migraine days in patients with episodic migraine who received erenumab. An average of 5.8 fewer monthly migraine days were observed in patients who switched from 70 mg to 140 mg and remained on 140-mg erenumab for >4 years.

“Novartis and Amgen are proud to lead the way based on the vast breadth of experience with Aimovig in showing how patients can take their life back from this highly debilitating disease,” Vester-Blokland continued.

REFERENCES

1. Straube A, Stude P, Gaul C, Koch M, Schuh K. First one-year real world evidence data with the monoclonal antibody erenumab in Germany. Neurology. 2020;94 (15 Suppl). 1873

2. Novartis announces data in Neurology reinforcing the real-world and long-term effectiveness and safety of Aimovig as a preventive treatment across the full spectrium of migraine [news release]. Basel, Switzerland: Novartis; Published April 16, 2020. Accessed April 22, 2020. novartis.com/news/media-releases/novartis-announces-data-neurology-reinforcing-real-world-and-long-term-effectiveness-and-safety-aimovig-preventive-treatment-across-full-spectrum-migraine.