Home health remedies Teva, trailing CGRP rivals in migraine, can’t find a win in Ajovy...

Teva, trailing CGRP rivals in migraine, can’t find a win in Ajovy analysis versus Biohaven and AbbVie meds

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When it comes to preventing chronic migraines, market-dominating injectables from Teva, Eli Lilly and Amgen are starting to feel the heat from formidable oral rivals. Looking to gain an early leg up, pharma companies have tried to pin their antibodies against up-and-coming migraine meds in an effort to woo over patients and doctors. 

Except a new analysis from Teva pitting its long-acting injectable Ajovy against oral foes from Biohaven Pharmaceuticals and AbbVie doesn’t appear to separate the drug from the pack as the company likely hoped. 

In the new meta analysis released on Wednesday, Teva looked to see how well Ajovy, Biohaven’s Nurtec ODT and AbbVie’s atogepant reduced migraines, as measured in days per month, when compared with placebo. The analysis is being presented during the International Headache Society and European Headache Federation Joint Congress. 

When compared to every-other-day dosing for Nurtec ODT, Teva’s analysis found that the monthly 225 milligram and quarterly 675 milligram Ajovy injections only reduced migraine days by 1.3 and 1.02 days more from placebo, respectively. 

Meanwhile, those same Ajovy doses didn’t fare much better when compared to AbbVie’s atogepant taken once or twice daily. While Ajovy outperformed atogepant slightly across all paired dosing strategies, it didn’t reduce migraine days by more than a day on average. 

No statistical significance could be determined, Teva said. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

For the post hoc analysis, Teva said it reviewed data from Ajovy’s phase 3 trials, known as Halo and Focus, to determine the frequency and severity of migraines and headaches for both chronic and episodic patients.

RELATED: Biohaven’s Nurtec ODT outmuscles AbbVie’s Ubrelvy in gaining new migraine patients following key FDA nod

While it’s unclear whether the analysis will help boost prescriptions, the generics giant believes the comparisons “provide clinicians with new insights into the impact of choosing a treatment option for each individual patient,” Teva’s Matthias Mueller, MD, VP of global medical affairs, said in a release. 

Teva’s med has lagged rivals from Eli Lilly and Amgen since launching in 2018, but its sales have gained steam lately. Ajovy brought in $70 million in second-quarter global revenues, compared with Emgality’s $156 million and Aimovig’s $82 million. 

The new analysis comes months after Biohaven’s Nurtec ODT scored a potentially market-shifting FDA nod in May to prevent episodic migraines, or fewer than 15 days of headaches per month. It’s now the first and only oral anti-CGRP drug approved as a dual therapy for both acute and preventive use. Hot on its tail, however, is AbbVie’s oral atogepant. That drug is currently awaiting an FDA nod to prevent migraines. 

Analysts see Nurtec ODT shaping up to become a “major migraine player.” Biohaven reported in early July that Nurtec ODT, also known as rimegepant, raked in $93 million in sales during the second quarter, a whopping 112% increase compared with the previous quarter.

RELATED: Eli Lilly pins injectable migraine med Emgality against Biohaven’s oral rival Nurtec ODT in head-to-head study

Teva isn’t the only company trying to tamper Nurtec’s advances. Lilly plans to launch its own head-to-head study pitting its monthly injectable monoclonal antibody Emgality against Nurtec ODT in patients with episodic migraines this year. 

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