New drug able to overcome migraines available in Australia for millions suffering in silence

A NEW monthly injection that promises to eliminate or cut migraines will be available to desperate Australians later this year — but how much are you willing to pay for a dose?

A NEW monthly injection that promises to eliminate or cut migraines will be available to desperate Australians later this year.

After being approved for use in Australia, Aimovig, a new generation of injectable treatment for the prevention of migraine, will be made available from October.

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Aimovig is still being evaluated for listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme so will initially come with a heavy price tag of up to $9000 a year. Picture: File.

The headache wonder-drug has been able to cut symptoms at least in half for six out of 10 chronic migraine sufferers during clinical trials before winning approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

However, the drug is still being evaluated for listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme so will initially come with a heavy price tag of up to $9000 a year, placing it beyond the reach of many of the 3.5 million Australians suffering migraine.

Neurologists are hoping to reach agreements with Aimovig’s manufacturer Novartis to provide the medication through compassionate access schemes for some of the most desperate patients while a new application for a taxpayer-funded listing is made.

Professor Tissa Wijeratne, senior neurologist at Western Health and spokesman of the World Federation of Neurology, said the new preventive injections will transform headache medicine.

“This is the first time that we have something actually designed against a protein that is heavily involved in the generation of abnormally electrical and chemical activity in the brain, in migraines,” he said.

“There are also less side effects.

“Because of these two reasons I am pretty excited and I can’t wait to see the access the everybody access these medications.”

Aimovig works by blocking a receptor in the brain called CGRP which increases during a migraine, but which return to normal levels when the headache subsides. By targeting the build up of CGRP Aimovig is able to prevent them triggering a migraine.

For the past 24 years Jenna Humphries has lived through the pain of 20-23 migraines a month, but recently had a taste of pain-free life through a Phase 2 trial of a similar injectable medication.

For 24 years Jenna Humphries has lived through the pain of 20-23 migraines a month. Picture: Alex Coppel

For eight months the 33-year-old Frankston mother’s symptoms were cut by 90 per cent and, as she awaits the birth of her second child, she is also eagerly anticipating the chance to try life on Aimovig.

“They (migraines) are quite debilitating really: blinding, you can’t function or focus. It can be only a few hours or up to nine days,” she said.

“I have to miss a lot of work and events like weddings, birthdays, holidays … everything.

“(Being migraine free) was amazing. I can’t even describe how amazing it was, it was just so different to everything I have ever experienced. I was even able to go on my first overseas holiday.”

A spokeswoman for Novartis said the company was still in the process of determining what the price of Aimovig will be for on a private prescription in Australia, however the monthly injections currently cost $780 AUD in the US.

After its initial application to place Aimovig on the PBS was rejected, the company is preparing a second attempt to list the medication that would lower the out of pocket cost per script to $39.50.

Headache Australia chief executive officer Gerald Edmunds is backing the push.

“The impact of a person’s absence or inability to perform daily activities due to migraine extends to their colleagues, family members and social relationships.,” he said.