Having received FDA approval last July, Zogenix out of San Diego, California is bringing to market its SUMAVEL DosePro sumatriptan delivery system for the treatment of oncoming migraines and cluster headaches. The needle-free device delivers the drug subcutaneously, bringing both speed and efficacy when oral pills are a poor option.
From the press release:
SUMAVEL DosePro delivers subcutaneous sumatriptan, a treatment that provides migraine relief starting within 10 minutes for some patients*, in a first-of-its-kind needle-free delivery system. SUMAVEL DosePro is expected to be available at most retail pharmacy outlets this month.
SUMAVEL DosePro offers other practical benefits. Approximately 30 percent of patients report vomiting as a symptom of migraine attacks, and the vast majority of attacks are also accompanied by nausea. During these episodes, oral therapies may be an impractical treatment option. Further, while most forms of triptans can be effective when taken early in a migraine attack, patients who experience rapid onset of migraines, or those that occur upon waking may not always achieve the fast relief they would like from tablet and nasal forms.Quickly absorbed subcutaneous sumatriptan may offer an alternative for these patients, although until now, it was only available in a needle-based system. New SUMAVEL DosePro delivers sumatriptan subcutaneously (under the skin) without a needle, which can offer fast relief in a patient-friendly delivery system.
*In two well-controlled clinical trials (N=1104) with patients experiencing moderate or severe pain and one or more migraine symptoms, the efficacy of subcutaneous sumatriptan versus placebo was evaluated. In these clinical trials, 16 percent of patients achieved relief within 10 minutes versus 4 percent for placebo; 70 percent of patients achieved relief at one hour versus 22 percent for placebo (P<.001); and 82 percent of patients achieved relief at two hours versus 39 percent for placebo (P<.05)
Product page: SUMAVEL DosePro…
Press release: SUMAVEL DosePro Available in the United States to Treat Acute Migraine and Cluster Headaches…
Flashback: Migraines Be Gone: Sumatriptan Needle Free DosePro Injector Gets OK In US