Key clinical point: Fremanezumab demonstrated improved efficacy, tolerability, and safety outcomes in patients with chronic or episodic migraine who reported prior inadequate response to 2-4 classes of preventive migraine medications.
Major finding: At 12 weeks, the number needed to treat to achieve ≥50% reduction in monthly average number of migraine days was 3.9 with both quarterly and monthly fremanezumab dosing. The numbers needed to harm for one patient to discontinue treatment due to adverse events were 1000 and 144 for quarterly and monthly fremanezumab dosing, respectively.
Study details: This post hoc analysis of the FOCUS trial included 838 patients with chronic (n = 509) or episodic (n = 329) migraine who had prior inadequate response to 2-4 migraine preventive medication classes and were randomly assigned to receive quarterly or monthly fremanezumab or placebo.
Disclosures: This study was funded by Teva Pharmaceuticals. Three authors declared being employees of Teva Pharmaceuticals, and other authors declared having ties with various sources including Teva Pharmaceuticals.
Source: Ashina M et al. Numbers needed to treat or harm and likelihood of being helped versus harmed for fremanezumab in patients who had prior inadequate response to two to four classes of migraine preventive medications: A post hoc analysis. Headache. 2023;63(10):1351-1358 (Nov 13). doi: 10.1111/head.14651