Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Receptor Antagonists for Migraine Prophylaxis

​Migraine is a common disorder affecting 12% of the U.S. population. Prophylaxis is recommended for patients who experience frequent migraines. Because current drugs used for prophylaxis are not 100% effective and cause adverse effects that affect compliance, new strategies have been studied to prevent headaches. One new pharmacologic strategy is to use an inhibitor of the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). As a class, the CGRP receptor inhibitors have reduced monthly migraine days and are well tolerated. This article will briefly review CGRP inhibitors in development. (The full article is available in the ​June 2017 issue of Hospital Pharmacy)