Reducing Episodic Cluster Headaches: Focus on Galcanezumab

Lanfranco Pellesi; Roberto De Icco; Mohammad Al-Mahdi Al-Karagholi; Messoud Ashina

doi:10.2147/JPR.S222604

Reducing Episodic Cluster Headaches: Focus on Galcanezumab

J Pain Res. 2020 Jul 2:13:1591-1599. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S222604. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Lanfranco Pellesi¹, Roberto De Icco^{2

3}, Mohammad Al-Mahdi Al-Karagholi¹, Messoud Ashina^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Danish Headache Center, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
² Headache Science Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
³ Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
⁴ Danish Headache Knowledge Center, Rigshospitalet Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark.

Abstract

The involvement of calcitonin gene-related peptide in migraine and cluster headache has led to the recent development of new therapies. Galcanezumab, a novel monoclonal antibody targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide, is approved for the migraine prevention and has recently been tested for the prevention of cluster headache. Two clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of galcanezumab in episodic cluster headache and chronic cluster headache. While efficacy endpoints were not met in the chronic subtype, galcanezumab reduced the weekly frequency of attacks in patients with episodic cluster headaches. In both studies, the antibody was well tolerated. This review summarizes and critically reviews the available data regarding the rationale behind targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide with galcanezumab for the prevention of cluster headache.

Keywords: CGRP; LY2951742; antibody; calcitonin gene-related peptide; cluster headache.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.