AbbVie's Qulipta cuts menstrual migraine days in late-stage trial

AbbVie (ABBV) announced that its migraine drug atogepant reduced the number of migraine days linked to menstruation in a late-stage study, potentially opening a new use for the treatment.

Atogepant, sold in the US as Qulipta, is already approved as a preventive treatment for migraine in adults.

The study met its primary endpoint, showing a greater reduction than placebo in migraine days during the perimenstrual period, averaged across three menstrual cycles. Patients receiving atogepant experienced 0.8 fewer migraine days on average than those given placebo, the company said.

The trial tested the drug taken for seven consecutive days, beginning three days before the onset of menstruation, over three cycles.

Atogepant also met key secondary goals measuring headache burden, use of acute medication, functional disability and cognitive function.

The drug belongs to a class of treatments that target a biological pathway involved in migraine.