Efficacy and safety of fremanezumab for chronic migraine prevention: Multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group trial in Japanese and Korean patients
OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and safety of fremanezumab administration in Japanese and Korean patients with chronic migraine (CM). BACKGROUND: Available preventive treatments for CM are limited by various efficacy and safety issues. Fremanezumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets the calcitonin gene-related peptide pathway involved in migraine pathogenesis, has been shown to be effective and well tolerated in large-scale, international Phase 3 trials. METHODS: Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of patients with CM who received subcutaneous fremanezumab monthly (675 mg at baseline and 225 mg at weeks 4 and 8), fremanezumab quarterly (675 mg at baseline and placebo at weeks 4 and 8), or matching placebo. Primary endpoint was the mean change from baseline in the monthly (28-day) average number of headache days of at least moderate severity during the 12 weeks after the first dose. RESULTS: Among 571 patients randomized (safety set, n = 569; full analysis set, n = 566), the least-squares mean (±standard error [SE]) reduction in the average number of headache days of at least moderate severity per month during 12 weeks was significantly greater with fremanezumab monthly (-4.1 ± 0.4) and fremanezumab quarterly (-4.1 ± 0.4) than with placebo (-2.4 ± 0.4). The difference from the placebo group in the mean change (95% confidence interval [CI]) was -1.7 days (-2.54, -0.80) for the fremanezumab monthly group and -1.7 days (-2.55, -0.82) for the fremanezumab quarterly group (p < 0.001 vs. placebo for both fremanezumab groups). The percentage of patients with a ≥50% reduction in the average number of headache days of at least moderate severity per month (response rate) was higher with fremanezumab monthly (29.0%) and fremanezumab quarterly (29.1%) than with placebo (13.2%) in addition to other improvements in secondary endpoints, including reduction of acute medication use (mean change from baseline during 12-week period ± SE: fremanezumab monthly, -3.7 ± 0.4; fremanezumab quarterly, -3.9 ± 0.4; placebo, -2.4 ± 0.4) and improvements in disability scores (mean change from baseline in six-item Headache Impact Test score at 4 weeks after third injection ± SE: fremanezumab monthly, -8.1 ± 0.7; fremanezumab quarterly, -8.0 ± 0.7; placebo, -6.5 ± 0.7). Fremanezumab was well tolerated with a similar incidence of adverse events including injection-site reactions as placebo (patients with at least one treatment-emergent adverse event: fremanezumab total, n = 232 [61.4%]; placebo, n = 118 [61.8%]). CONCLUSION: Fremanezumab effectively prevents CM in Japanese and Korean patients and was well tolerated. No safety signal was detected.