Atogepant approved for preventive use in Scotland
Another treatment option for people living with migraine in Scotland
We welcome today’s decision by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) to approve Atogepant (Aquipta) for use as a preventive treatment for migraine in Scotland.
SMC have outlined the eligibility criteria for access to this treatment: adults with chronic and episodic migraine who have at least 4 migraine days per month, and who have had prior failure on three or more migraine preventive treatments.
Atogepant is a gepant, a CGRP receptor antagonist, a newer class of treatment developed specifically for migraine
Another promising development
The news of Atogepant’s approval for preventive use by SMC comes after another gepant medication, Rimegepant, was approved by the Consortium for acute use in May 2023 and preventive use in September 2023. Similarly, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently approved Rimegepant for both acute and preventive treatment of migraine in England.
These developments are certainly a cause for hope for people living with migraine: after years of using repurposed medicines, or medicines developed for other conditions, there are now specific treatments developed for migraine, and others in development.
“Atogepant has the potential to vastly improve quality of life by reducing the number and severity of migraine days for those living with the condition. Migraine can be incredibly debilitating and is far more than a headache, with a wide range of symptoms that can affect mental health, and ability to work and maintain relationships. We hope the treatment is quickly made available so that those who will benefit from it can do soon. We are also hopeful that other UK nations follow suit so that people with migraine have further options for treatment, regardless of post code.”
