[Feature] A shot at migraine
Monday, August 15, 2016 - 14:21
in Health & Medicine
Millions dread the onset of migraine headaches, which strike roughly 12% of the world's population at least once per year. Existing treatments can only head off migraines after they start, and don't work for many people. On the horizon, however, is a new class of drugs that many scientists believe can stop migraines at their root. Four pharmaceutical companies are racing to complete advanced clinical trials of antibody drugs that block the activity of a molecule called calcitonin gene-related peptide, or CGRP, which spikes during migraine attacks. The discovery of CGRP may also help to solve the centuries-old puzzle of what triggers a migraine's complex neurological events. Author: Emily Underwood