Latest news with #AmericanHeadacheSociety
Medscape
2 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Migraine Expert Renews Call for Prompt, Effective Management
OTTAWA — Therapies that target calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) should be used up front in the treatment and prevention of migraine because of their efficacy, safety, and potential to modify the disease course, an expert said. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation (CNSF) Congress 2025, David Dodick, MD, emeritus professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, reiterated the appeal that was first published in an American Headache Society position statement: That migraine therapies that target CGRP become first-line treatments for migraine. A Bold Call Some of the available monoclonal antibodies to treat migraine include erenumab, fremanezumab, galcanezumab, and eptinezumab. The class of 'gepants' includes rimegepant and atogepant. All these treatments target CGRP. 'This was a type of expert consensus opinion,' Dodick told Medscape Medical News , referring to the 'rather bold' position statement. 'The real-world evidence supports what we saw in clinical trials, and we now know the safety profile of these [therapies] because we've had them for almost 8 years of use in clinical practice. They are not first-line [therapies] simply because of cost.' The largest prospective study on the use of anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies demonstrated robust responses to these therapies. Because CGRP-targeting therapies are well tolerated, discontinuation due to adverse events is generally not a concern, and increased efficacy may be realized if patients stay the course with CGRP-targeting therapies, said Dodick. 'You can imagine that if people are able to tolerate them and stay on these drugs longer, then efficacy is cumulative over time. Adherence and compliance increase the response rate over time,' said Dodick. Early Treatment Vital 'It really does matter how early you get to the patient and treat them effectively, both from the standpoint of treating an individual episode of migraine and from the prevention standpoint: That is, treating the disease earlier,' said Dodick. 'The more frequent that migraines are, and the more you allow them to be frequent, the more likely they are to progress to a daily migraine, and the more difficult they are to manage.' In the US and Canada, patients with migraine must first fail other treatments before they are prescribed newer agents like CGRP monoclonal antibodies or gepants, and this requirement creates the potential for a lapse in care, noted Dodick. 'Patients can become discouraged and lost to follow-up if they fail one medicine and then two medicines,' which he said supports the case for first-line access to CGRP-targeting migraine therapies. High-Impact Agents The efficacy of migraine treatments that target CGRP is convincing, said Michael Hill, MD, professor of clinical neuroscience at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary. 'For some patients, they can get back to living a relatively normal life,' said Hill, who also is CNSF president. 'It can be a remarkable evolution. They go from being nonfunctioning and not working to being fully functional again because their migraine is not chronic, or their recurrent migraines are not so disabling.' Seeing patients who are unable to access these therapies is disheartening, Hill told Medscape Medical News. 'It is hard to see them denied this therapy.' The preventive potential that these therapies could offer would certainly be welcome, Hill added. 'The idea that some of these people who start with simple migraine and progress to a chronic, refractory migraine state, and that these might actually be preventable with early treatment, is really exciting.' Episodic treatment of migraine has not altered the disease course. 'The focus on migraine therapy has been on acute treatment and not so much on this idea that you might prevent the evolving chronicity of the disease.'
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New Headache Medicine Research Impacting Treatment, Prevention and Quality of Life to be Presented at the American Headache Society® 67th Annual Scientific Meeting in Minneapolis, MN
MOUNT ROYAL, N.J., June 02, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Headache Society® (AHS) will host its 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting on June 19-22. Attendees can participate in-person or On Demand, gaining evidence-based information on diagnosing, managing, and treating headache disorders. "We are thrilled to advance the mission of the Society with this year's scientific conference," said Dr. Mark Burish, Co-Chair of the AHS Scientific Meeting Planning Committee. Co-Chair, Dr. Christina Szperka added, "This meeting has attracted an incredible array of speakers and faculty during an exciting time in headache medicine." The meeting includes lectures from pioneers and visionaries who have left an indelible mark on their respective fields. Among them is a pioneer in circadian biology, Joseph S. Takahashi PhD, who will provide the keynote. More than 300 abstracts will be presented in preclinical science, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment. This year's conference will include the first results of phase 3 trials of CGRP-targeted therapies in children and adolescents. New data will be unveiled that has the potential to have a significant impact on a broad range of patient populations, including: Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery Prediction with Brain MRI and CT Effectiveness of Treatments Used in New Daily Persistent Headache in Children and Adolescents Vaporized Cannabis Versus Placebo for the Acute Treatment of Migraine Understanding Headaches Associated with Enlarged Breast Tissue and the Impact of Surgery The meeting will also feature collections of talks at the intersection of headache and stroke, headache and sleep, headache and psychological trauma, and, for the first time in recent memory, a session devoted to the study of refractory headaches. The full meeting program is available on the AHS website here. AHS is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. Attendees can earn up to 31.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ through live and recorded sessions. Media can obtain passes to gain access to all Annual Scientific Meeting content. Register for the meeting here. For more information about the American Headache Society and its events, programs, and membership, visit Live Meeting updates will be posted on all AHS outlets, @ahsheadache, and is easily searchable using #AHSAM. About the American Headache Society (AHS) The mission of the American Headache Society is to improve the care and lives of people living with headache disorders. The American Headache Society (AHS) is a professional society of health care providers dedicated to the study and treatment of headache and face pain. Educating physicians, health professionals and the public, and encouraging scientific research are the primary functions of our Society. For more information about the AHS, visit View source version on Contacts Tanya Kiniry, tkiniry@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
02-06-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
New Headache Medicine Research Impacting Treatment, Prevention and Quality of Life to be Presented at the American Headache Society ® 67 th Annual Scientific Meeting in Minneapolis, MN
MOUNT ROYAL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Headache Society ® (AHS) will host its 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting on June 19-22. Attendees can participate in-person or On Demand, gaining evidence-based information on diagnosing, managing, and treating headache disorders. 'This meeting has attracted an incredible array of speakers and faculty during an exciting time in headache medicine." "We are thrilled to advance the mission of the Society with this year's scientific conference,' said Dr. Mark Burish, Co-Chair of the AHS Scientific Meeting Planning Committee. Co-Chair, Dr. Christina Szperka added, 'This meeting has attracted an incredible array of speakers and faculty during an exciting time in headache medicine." The meeting includes lectures from pioneers and visionaries who have left an indelible mark on their respective fields. Among them is a pioneer in circadian biology, Joseph S. Takahashi PhD, who will provide the keynote. More than 300 abstracts will be presented in preclinical science, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment. This year's conference will include the first results of phase 3 trials of CGRP-targeted therapies in children and adolescents. New data will be unveiled that has the potential to have a significant impact on a broad range of patient populations, including: Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery Prediction with Brain MRI and CT Effectiveness of Treatments Used in New Daily Persistent Headache in Children and Adolescents Vaporized Cannabis Versus Placebo for the Acute Treatment of Migraine Understanding Headaches Associated with Enlarged Breast Tissue and the Impact of Surgery The meeting will also feature collections of talks at the intersection of headache and stroke, headache and sleep, headache and psychological trauma, and, for the first time in recent memory, a session devoted to the study of refractory headaches. The full meeting program is available on the AHS website here. AHS is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. Attendees can earn up to 31.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ through live and recorded sessions. Media can obtain passes to gain access to all Annual Scientific Meeting content. Register for the meeting here. For more information about the American Headache Society and its events, programs, and membership, visit Live Meeting updates will be posted on all AHS outlets, @ahsheadache, and is easily searchable using #AHSAM. About the American Headache Society (AHS) The mission of the American Headache Society is to improve the care and lives of people living with headache disorders. The American Headache Society (AHS) is a professional society of health care providers dedicated to the study and treatment of headache and face pain. Educating physicians, health professionals and the public, and encouraging scientific research are the primary functions of our Society. For more information about the AHS, visit
