Migraine is a complex neurological disorder characterized by an attack lasting between 4 and 72 hours that is accompanied by a moderate to severe headache. Migraine is the most common in the working population and causes a lot of burden to an individual as well as to society. The role of a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) recognized as a key neuromodulator that is involved in the pathophysiology of migraine has enabled systematic research of novel treatment options with good efficacy, safety, and tolerability profiles. Four monoclonal antibodies targeting either CGRP (eptinezumab, fremanezumab, and galcanezumab) or its receptor (erenumab) have been approved by EMA and FDA in recent years. They have numerous favorable characteristics, including high target-specificity, a small possibility for interactions with other medicines, a long half-life, and the fact that they do not cross the blood-brain barrier due to their size. In this master thesis, we have performed a systematic review of the studies, evaluating the efficacy and safety of the mentioned monoclonal antibodies. We have performed a literature search, referring to the research question, in three publicly available databases: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and EU Clinical Trials Register. We have identified 22 multicentric, randomized, placebo-controlled studies, that have evaluated efficacy and safety in adults, aged ⡥18 years, with a diagnosis of either episodic or chronic migraine. We have summarized included studies’ characteristics, assessed the risk of bias, and written out results on efficacy and safety. All discussed monoclonal antibodies significantly reduce monthly migraine days (MMD) and provoke a ⡥50 % reduction of MMD in a significantly higher proportion of patients compared to a control group. Additionally, erenumab, fremanezumab, and galcanezumab have proven to be efficient in patients in whom two to four previous migraine preventive treatments were unsuccessful. A favorable safety profile has been demonstrated within clinical studies; in general, the incidence of adverse events was similar between treated and control groups with the most common adverse events being injection side reactions (for monoclonal antibodies given by subcutaneous injection), upper respiratory tract infections, nausea, nasopharyngitis, and fatigue. The incidence of anti-drug antibodies was small and had no impact on efficacy and safety.
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