A headache on the horizon for sumatriptan?

Abstract

Sumatriptan has been the gold standard of migraine treatment since its launch 5 years ago. However, it accounts for only 8.5% of all migraine therapy prescriptions worldwide. The drug is not an option for some patients due to its high cost. For others, it is ineffective or unacceptable in available formulations. Further to this, sumatriptan will soon face competition from a number of new serotonin agonists that are reaching the final stages of development. The latest data on these competitors were presented at the 3rd European Headache Conference [ Sardinia; June 1996 ].