Big Pharma pushes new migraine drugs into Phase III with blockbuster hopes

A cadre of drugmakers is pressing toward late-stage trials with new injectable treatments in the long-stagnant field of migraine therapy, racing to capitalize on what analysts say is a multibillion-dollar market. The new treatments are antibodies that block proteins called CGRPs, key to the pain signaling process. As Bloomberg notes, at the forefront of CGRP development are Teva Pharmaceutical ($TEVA), Alder Biopharmaceuticals ($ALDR), Amgen ($AMGN) and Eli Lilly ($LLY), each posting Phase II success with treatments designed to significantly reduce patients' average monthly migraines. Awaiting them is a market opportunity of between $4 billion and $8 billion, according to analysts polled by Bloomberg. More