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Course Instructor
Abby Massey
Capstone Semester
Fall 2020
Date of Graduation
12-18-2020
Abstract
Objective: To determine the effectiveness of subcutaneous galcanezumab as a preventative treatment for chronic migraines via a systematic review. Methods: JAMA and PubMed databases were searched using the terms galcanezumab and migraines in order to survey resulting patient clinical trials. Results: The 3 studies reviewed here all showed a statistically significant decrease in migraine headache days (MHDs) per month when using galcanezumab. Stauffer, et al. showed a mean decrease in MHDs of 4.7 and 4.6 for the 120mg and 240 mg doses of galcanezumab vs. 2.8 for placebo9 . Rosen, et al. showed a mean monthly 100% response rate on an average month in the 6-month double-blind phase was greater for galcanezumab 120mg (13.5%) and 240 mg (14.3%) groups vs. placebo (5.9%)7. Detke, et al. showed mean reduction in the number of monthly MHDs of 4.8 and 4.6 for the 120mg and 240mg doses of galcanezumab vs. a 2.7 reduction for placebo8. Conclusion: This systematic review did show significant evidence that supports the use of subcutaneous galcanezumab as a preventative treatment for those with chronic migraines. There was no difference between the effectiveness of the 120mg and 240mg galcanezumab doses. Although no major risks were identified, more clinical trials need to be done in order to further study galcanezumab as well as its possible long-term adverse effects.
Document Type
Capstone
Recommended Citation
Brown J, Weedon C. Galcanezumab as a treatment for the prevention of Migraines. Posted online December 14, 2020.
