Key clinical point: Patients that cycle through migraine preventive medications have a higher economic burden.
Major finding: Migraine patients cycling through more than two preventive migraine medications (PMMs) had an increased financial burden, compared with patients that received their initial medication class. “Mean all-cause total direct costs, including prescription costs, were significantly higher in PMM2 ($13,429) and PMM3 ($18,394) subgroups versus the persistent subgroup ($11,941),” noted the investigators
Study details: This was a retrospective observational study of 55,402 adult patients with migraine beginning their first PMM: antidepressants, antiepileptics, beta blockers, or neurotoxins. Patients had to have continuous medical and prescription enrollment for 12 months to be included in the study.
Disclosures: Eli Lilly and Company funded and designed the study. All study investigators reported being employees and stockholders of Eli Lily and Company.
Citation: Ford JH, et al. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2019 Jan;25(1):46-59. doi: 10.18553/jmcp.2018.18058 .