Rizatriptan in Acute Treatment of Migraine in Patients With Unilateral Trigeminal-autonomic Symptoms.

Migraine Clinical Trial

Official title: A Randomized, Double Blind, Controlled Versus Placebo in Parallel Groups, Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of 10 mg Lyophilized Oral Rizatriptan in the Acute Treatment of Migraine in Patients With Unilateral Trigeminal Autonomic Symptoms.

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Triptans are first choice drugs in the acute treatment of migraine and cluster headache. However, while in cluster headache the response rate to subcutaneous sumatriptan is 96%, around 30% of patients fail to respond to a particular triptan. Nonresponse is likely to be due to a variety of factors, including low and inconsistent absorption, inadequate dosing, and variability in individual response5. Timing of administration is also a crucial issue. In fact, an early treatment of the attack, when the pain is still mild, may increase the responders rate by circumventing the development of cutaneous allodynia (expression of central sensitization of pain pathway) during the course of the attack.

Several studies have been performed in an attempt to genetically, psychologically and clinically characterize the triptan responders but failed to provide conclusive results.

Nevertheless, we suggested that the presence of UAs during the migraine attack might predict a good response to triptans. UAs are common in migraine patients. They have been reported in almost one out of two migraineurs (45.8%) attending a tertiary headache centre and in more than one out of four (26.9%) in a population-based study. In an open study with sumatriptan 50 mg performed on 72 migraine patients with UAs, we described pain relief in 65.3% of the patients at 1 h and in 81.9% at 2 h, while pain-free in 30.6% at 1 h and in 61.1% at 2 h. We hypothesized a large-scale recruitment of peripheral neurovascular 5-HT1B/1D receptors consequent to the activation of the trigeminal-autonomic reflex in such patients. Our hypothesis has received further confirmation by the demonstration of higher levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide, neurokinin A and vasoactive intestinal peptide (the hallmark of the activation of the trigeminal autonomic reflex) in external jugular blood in rizatriptan responders than in non-responders.

The investigators therefore postulate that migraineurs with UAs may respond better to rizatriptan than "general" migraine population.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of rizatriptan 10 mg lyophilized wafer (MLT) compared to placebo in the treatment of acute migraine in patients with unilateral autonomic symptoms (UAs: unilateral lacrimation, eye redness, eyelid oedema, nasal congestion or rhinorrhoea, miosis or ptosis, forehead or facial sweating) during the migraine attack.

Clinical Trial Description

We tested the hypothesis that the presence of unilateral cranial autonomic symptoms in migraine predicts a good response to triptans. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study 80 migraineurs with unilateral cranial autonomic symptoms were assigned to rizatriptan 10 mg wafer or placebo (ratio 1:1) and treated for a single moderate or severe migraine attack. The primary endpoints were pain freedom at 2 h and total migraine freedom at 2 h. Secondary endpoints included pain relief, no associated symptoms and sustained pain freedom or relief. Significantly more patients reported pain freedom at 2 h after taking rizatriptan than after placebo (54% vs 8%; p<0.001). Similarly, significantly more patients reported total migraine freedom at 2 h after rizatriptan than after placebo (51% vs 8%; p<0.001). Rizatriptan was also more effective than placebo on most secondary endpoints. Migraineurs with unilateral cranial autonomic symptoms respond better than the general migraine population to rizatriptan, probably owing to intense trigeminal peripheral afferent activation which strongly recruits peripheral neurovascular 5-HT1B/1D receptors. Acute and preventive pharmacological trials in migraine should focus also on this subset of migraine patients. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Migraine
• Migraine Disorders

• NCT number: NCT00753311
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: IRCCS San Raffaele
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• Start date: July 2009
• Completion date: October 2011