Factors influencing choice of prophylactic migraine therapy

Results of the PANORAMA study provided insights into the current treatment paradigm for migraine in Germany, revealing a disproportionately long patient-journey. The choice of prophylactic migraine therapy was determined by a large number of factors, with the guidelines seemingly playing only a marginal role [1].

A total of 119 specialised German centres contributed to PANORAMA with over 10 months of data collection. Individual centre profiles were obtained, followed by a thorough database study to characterise the patients' treatments. Additionally, in an expert interview, the significance of migraine therapy in each centre was defined.

Of all treated patients per calendar quarter, 13.8% had migraine; about 88% of these patients were referred from other centres. The majority of patients (60%) had at least 4 migraine days per month; 13% had a chronic condition. An average of 43% received prophylactic treatment, while 68% were using triptans. Choice of prophylactic therapy was determined by a wide range of factors: comorbidities (49.6%); demography/patient situation (47.1%); adverse reactions/tolerability (33.6%); concomitant medication (22.7%); patient's wish (18.5%); previous therapy (14.3%); effectiveness (10.1%); guidelines (10.1%); easy to use (6.7%).

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   1. Koch M, et al. EAN 2019, EPR2041.

Posted on 27 August 201917 March 2021