First Trials of Wellcome's New Antimigraine Drug

Delegates attending the 10th Migraine Trust International Symposium in London, UK, heard the first clinical reports on 311C90, Wellcome's promising new drug for the treatment of migraine.

The compound is an orally-active, potent and selective 5-HT1D receptor agonist with both central and peripheral activity, according to Wellcome, which added that 311C90 has shown itself to be a well-tolerated and highly effective acute treatment for migraine in four studies, two open-label and two double-blind and placebo controlled.

The first of these placebo-controlled studies was conducted amongst 84 patients suffering a moderate or severe migraine attack, at Leiden University Hospital in the Netherlands. The physician who headed the study, Hester Visser, found that doses of 5mg or greater of 311C90 resulted in a striking reduction in headache pain within two hours of taking the first dose. Other related migraine symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light, also improved, according to Dr Visser.