According to drug maker Merck & Co claims, Telcagepant has proved more effective drug to treat migraine with least side effects. Zolmitriptan (Zomig) that is often used for migraine treatment is also quite well-known for its different side effects.

A news release about the study says: “Though Zolmitriptan and some new tripants can prove effective to treat migraine, they have many side effects including throat tightness, dizziness, numbness and chest discomfort. Furthermore, they can’t be prescribed for the patients with cardiovascular disease as they become the cause of narrowing blood vessel. Triptans are also not recommended to patients with some migraine subtypes and high blood pressure.

While Telcagepant belongs to a different class known as CGRP or calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonists, experts believe that brain concentrations of CGRP are quite prominent in a migraine and they don’t appear to have blood vessel narrowing qualities and that’s why they may not have the same cardiovascular-related risks like triptans.

In this phase III study, the researchers included 1,370 patients from different sites at the United States and Europe. The patients had moderate to severe migraines and they were given either 150 or 300mg of telcagepant, a placebo or 5 mg zolmitriptan.

The researchers found that 300-mg telcagepant prove 27% more effective to make patients free of pain and than placebo and other drug. Similarly, in pain relief it was 55 % more effective, in nausea 65% and absences of noise sensitivity 58%.

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