Migraine is the second most common neurological disorder in the world and, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study, is responsible for more disability (expressed as the Years Lived with Disability) than all other neurological disorders combined. In recent years, there has been significant progress in the field of preventive migraine treatment due to the development of new monoclonal antibodies. Currently, four monoclonal antibodies are in use for migraine prevention, which are registered for migraine prophylaxis and are in use when a patient experiences at least four migraine days per month (eptinezumab, erenumab, fremanezumab, and galkanezumab). The European Headache Federation includes these drugs in the first line of migraine prevention for both episodic and chronic migraine patients.
The aim of this master's thesis was to conduct an analysis of the safety and efficacy of monoclonal antibodies for preventive migraine treatment. We were interested in whether the monoclonal antibodies differ in terms of safety and efficacy. A review of relevant clinical studies that examined their safety and efficacy was carried out. The primary database used for obtaining articles was the PubMed. We reviewed the results based on search keywords. Using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, we conducted a detailed review of the relevant clinical studies and compared their outcomes.
The clinical studies demonstrated the efficacy of all four monoclonal antibodies, as they reduced the number of migraine days per month, decreased the need for acute treatment of migraine, had a high treatment response rate, and the results reported by patients also showed a favorable impact on their quality of life and functioning. The incidence of adverse effects after treatment initiation and serious adverse effects was comparable to that of placebo, and most of these were not associated with the active substance being investigated. Monoclonal antibodies for migraine prophylaxis thus represent an important option for preventive treatment of both episodic and chronic migraine, not only due to their efficacy but also because of their favorable safety profile.
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