Joshua Cohen, MD: Fremanezumab's Impact on Quality of Life and Comorbidities

“What’s really important is looking at other features of migraine that are also affected. Not just the headache and migraine days, which are important, but also the nausea and vomiting, phono- and photophobia…as well as some of the comorbidities.”

With the recent FDA approval of fremanezumab (Ajovy, Teva Pharmaceuticals) and other calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors for the prevention of migraine, many patients and headache specialists alike let loose a sigh of relief, welcoming these new medicinal capabilities to their arsenal.

Although, issues and challenges for these patients with migraine remain. Despite the great efficacy of these CGRP-inhibiting agents, with regard to these therapies, one of the less often discussed topics is their impact on migraine’s detrimental effects on quality of life, as well as its comorbidities. CGRP inhibitors reduce headache days, yes, but fremanezumab has now also been shown to have a positive effect on measures of quality of life, such as depression.

To share some insight into how fremanezumab has helped to improve these facets of the condition, Joshua Cohen, MD, the Global Medical Lead for Migraine and Headache at Teva Pharmaceuticals, sat with NeurologyLive at the American Neurological Association’s 143rd Annual Meeting.