OBJECTIVE

Fremanezumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody (IgG2Δa) that selectively targets calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), is approved for preventive treatment of migraine in adults. This retrospective analysis assessed baseline patient characteristics and migraine-related health care resource utilization (HCRU) and costs in US patients with migraine 12 months before and 12 months after initiating fremanezumab treatment.

METHODS:

Eligible adults (≥18 years) identified from the IBM Marketscan Commercial and Medicare database (index period for cohort identification: September 1, 2018–March 31, 2019) included patients with ≥1 pharmacy claim for fremanezumab (the date of the earliest claim was the index date), ≥1 migraine diagnosis (within 12 months prior to the index date), and continuous enrollment for 12 months before (pre-index) and after (post-index) the index date. The study period was September 2017–March 2020. Patients pregnant during the study period were excluded.

RESULTS:

Of the eligible patients (n=2,354) identified, most had episodic migraine (54%) and were female (86%); the mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 45.4 (11.6) years. Significant 12-month pre-index to 12-month post-index HCRU reductions were observed in the mean (SD) number of migraine-related emergency room (ER) visits (0.21 [0.80] to 0.15 [0.96]) and total migraine-related outpatient visits (4.87 [5.24] to 4.38 [5.02]; both P<0.0001). Significant reductions in the mean (SD) number of migraine-related acute medication prescription claims were also seen (10.57 [10.69] to 9.30 [10.46]; P<0.0001). 12-month pre-index versus 12-month post-index cost comparisons showed statistically significantly differences in migraine-related outpatient costs ($2,573.71 [6,453.37] vs $2,485.70 [7,112.81]), migraine-related acute medication costs ($1,346.46 [3,124.83] vs $1,123.21 [3,156.91]), and migraine-related ER costs ($292.41 [1,280.84] vs $292.18 [3,405.24]; all P<0.0001). No significant differences in migraine-related inpatient visits or costs were found.

CONCLUSIONS:

Fremanezumab is associated with statistically significant reductions in migraine-related HCRU and costs in the 12 months after first fremanezumab treatment initiation.