Migraine is very prevalent worldwide. Attacks are more common in women and can occur at any age, but often diminish after the age of 50. Migraine pain is usually described as a severe throbbing or pulsating headache, often with nausea and sensitivity to light, which can last for many hours or even days.
The benefits of Botulinum Toxin (Botox®) in migraine were discovered accidentally when injections to reduce lines and wrinkles were reported to reduce the frequency and severity of headaches. Top-line analyses of data from two Phase III clinic trials confirm that Botox® is effective for the prophylaxis of chronic migraine. Patients were given Boxtox® or placebo injections every 12 weeks, and the primary analysis was carried out after two treatment cycles. The efficacy measures were the change in number of headache episodes and headache days compared with the 28 days preceding treatment. One study showed no significant reduction in the number of headache episodes between patients receiving Botox® and placebo, but a significant reduction in the number of headache days in the treatment group. The second study showed a benefit in terms of both number of headache episodes and headache days for the Botox® treated group. In both studies, patients receiving Botox® treatment reported significantly improved quality of life compared with patients receiving placebo.