Elevating the patient voice and providing a clinical perspective at ICER’s review of new migraine treatments

AMF Executive Director Nim Lalvani testified on a panel at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review’s January 23rd public meeting in Chicago on the effectiveness of gepants and ditans. ICER is an entity that brings together key stakeholders to review the clinical and economic value of therapies and sets recommendations for policy decisions. As someone who is impacted by migraine, Nim thinks it’s important that patients and advocates join providers in this process.

“Oftentimes in the ICER review process, there isn’t a lot known about the therapeutic area besides what’s available through articles and research, which is all credible information,” she said, “But the patient perspective, the real-world experience of the disease is often lost in those types of reviews and meta-analysis.”

To view the evidence report on acute migraine treatments or learn more about the ICER review process, visit the ICER website.

A Multidisciplinary Approach

AMF leadership worked closely with leaders of the American Headache Society to put together a moving, clinically valid testimonial that targeted the effects of new therapies and the experience of existing therapies on patients. It was through this approach that the Foundation could effectively speak on behalf of the broader migraine community.

The AMF would like to thank the other four panelists, Jamie Sanders, Eileen Brewer, Angie Glaser and Sharol Klise for bravely sharing the impact that migraine has had on their lives. We would also like to thank AHS leadership, including Dr. Kathleen Digre, Dr. Amaal Starling, Dr. Lawrence Newman, Dr. David Dodick, and Howard Rosen for helping put together this testimony.

Testimony Highlights

The Foundation’s testimony focused largely on how the new acute treatments were significant to populations for whom the currently available acute medications were contraindicated.

“Although the currently available acute medications are effective for some patients, they are ineffective, poorly tolerated and/or contraindicated in a great majority of other patients,” Nim testified.

The unmet need in this vulnerable population results in pain, disability, and high individual, family, societal and economic burden. Another risk of these highly contraindicated acute treatments is that patients might have to rely on medications such as opioids or medications containing butalbital or caffeine.

“One in seven prescriptions for opioids are written for headache and we know that opioids are not effective treatments for patients with migraine and headache disorders,” Nim says. “Considering the opioid epidemic, there needs to be better therapies available for patients who are living with chronic pain.”

The American Migraine Foundation is committed to improving the lives of those living with this debilitating disease. For more of the latest news and information on migraine, visit the AMF Resource Library.