Calcitonin gene related peptide in migraine: current therapeutics, future implications and potential off-target effects
Jason C. Ray, Mahima Kapoor, Richard Stark, Shuu‐Jiun Wang, Lars Bendtsen, Manjit Matharu, Elspeth Hutton
Abstract
Migraine is the second largest cause of years lost to disability globally among all diseases, with a worldwide prevalence over 1 billion. Despite the global burden of migraine, few classes of therapeutics have been specifically developed to combat migraine. After 30 years of translational research, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors have emerged as a promising new tool in the prevention of migraine. Like all new therapeutics; however, we have limited real-world experience and CGRP has several known systemic actions that warrant consideration. This article provides a narrative review of the evidence for CGRP antagonists and summarises the known and potential side effects that should be considered.