Today (January 26th), Pfizer announced that its new generation of specific migraine treatment drug, Rimezepam orally disintegrating tablets, has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China for the acute treatment of migraines in adults with or without aura.
Pfizer's official WeChat official account
According to a Pfizer press release, this is a calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist that uses orally disintegrating tablet technology. It can block key pathways related to the onset of migraine, quickly and continuously relieve headaches and related accompanying symptoms. It is easy to take and has no contraindications to cardiovascular diseases.
Rimezepam orally disintegrating tablets are the first oral CGRP receptor antagonist to show positive results in a key trial in China. In this study, patients achieved the common primary endpoint of pain and most troubled symptom relief after a single oral dose of 75mg of medication for 2 hours. Patients can quickly relieve pain and eliminate the most troublesome symptoms within 45 minutes, restore normal function within 60 minutes, and eliminate pain within 90 minutes; For most patients, its sustained therapeutic effect can reach 48 hours.
Remazepam sulfate orally disintegrating tablets were approved for marketing by the US FDA in 2020 for the acute treatment of adult migraine attacks. In May 2022, Pfizer acquired Biohaven for approximately $11.6 billion to expand its migraine product pipeline, thereby acquiring this product.
Migraine is a common chronic disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists migraine as one of the top 10 most disabling internal medicine diseases. A reporter from the Daily Economic News noticed that the orally disintegrating tablets of remizepam sulfate are not the only new migraine medication recently launched.
On the 9th of this month, Lilly Galcanezumab injection was approved for sale in China to prevent adult onset migraines.
Galcanezumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody developed by Eli Lilly targeting calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), which has been recognized as a breakthrough therapy by the FDA. CGRP is an effective vasodilator neuropeptide, whose release levels significantly increase during migraine attacks. Inhibiting the activity of CGRP and its receptor (CGRPR) can alleviate headaches and prevent migraine attacks.
As of November 2023, a total of 8 migraine drugs targeting CGRP have been approved for marketing worldwide, including Remdesipam Sulfate orally disintegrating tablets and Lilly Galcanezumab. Among them, Anjin& Novartis Pharmaceuticals also approved the marketing of its Irenazumab in September last year by the National Medical Products Administration. It is the first fully human monoclonal antibody drug approved in China that targets the calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) receptor, requiring monthly injections to prevent adult migraines.