Family and Social Life Low Priority for Migraine Sufferers

(I-Newswire) March 29, 2005 - Migraine Innovators brings together both headache specialists and primary care physicians from across Europe, and is sponsored by AstraZeneca in its continuing commitment to pioneering and innovative migraine management. Migraine Innovators is dedicated to improving scientific and medical knowledge of migraine and is an opportunity for sharing of best practice in migraine management.

The results of the MAZE IV study (Migraine and Zolmitripan Evaluation) reveal that migraine has a greater negative impact on social, family and leisure activities than on work. Forty three percent of sufferers cited the reason for choosing a triptan to treat a migraine attack as being not wanting to miss work or school compared to only 13% who cited a social engagement. The data was presented by Dr Astrid Gendolla, Head of the Headache Outpatient Centre at Universitätsklinik Essen in Germany.

Astrid Gendolla commented, "These are shocking results which show that migraine sufferers are putting their work before family and social activities when it comes to treating their migraines. Patients should reassess their priorities and it is extremely important to educate sufferers about the benefits of effective treatment."

Results of the MAZE and FRAMIG studies also reveal that migraine is often under-recognised and under-treated, particularly in Primary Care. Dr Gendolla highlighted that it is important for physicians to understand patients' needs and preferences in order to help improve treatment satisfaction and outcomes.

Professor Bigal, Director of Research at the New England Centre for Headache, Connecticut, presented results of a study on patient formulation preferences. The study compared Zolmitriptan ('Zomig') Nasal Spray with patients' usual care, and results showed that most migraine suffers preferred 'Zomig' Nasal Spray for the acute treatment of migraine.

Commenting on the results, Professor Bigal said, "These results reveal that patients prefer 'Zomig' Nasal Spray for three reasons: speed of onset; need for only one dose per attack; and fewer side effects. Studies such as this are extremely important in highlighting which medication is preferred by a particular individual or group of individuals, and can help improve patient compliance and treatment satisfaction."

Latest developments in migraine also discussed at Migraine Innovators V included new research into functional imaging of headache using magnetic resonance technique (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). Data were also presented on menstrual migraine and different treatment strategies were discussed.

Keynote speaker, Dr Ottar Sjaastad, Professor of Neurology at the University of Trondheim, Norway, spoke about his discovery of two types of headache; Chronic Paroxysmal Hemicrania (CPH) and SUNCT (Short-lasting, Unilateral Neuralgiform headache attacks with Conjunctival injection and Tearing). Dr Sjaastad is internationally recognised for his pioneering work on different forms of headache. Patient case studies from Japan, Germany, the US and UK were presented and discussed, to highlight the importance of correct diagnosis and appropriate management of these headache disorders.

For further information, please contact:
Aine Standen or
Olivia Garbutt at Fleishman Hillard on +44 207 395 7126
Email: garbuto@fleishmaneurope.com

Zomig, Zomig Nasal Spray and 'Zomig Rapimelt' are trademarks of the AstraZeneca Group of companies.

'Zomig'

'Zomig' (zolmitriptan), the world's leading second-generation triptan and the most prescribed triptan in the top five European markets cumulatively, is licensed for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults. The three 'Zomig' formulations ('Zomig' Classic oral tablets, 'Zomig Rapimelt' and 'Zomig' Nasal Spray) provide rapid and reliable relief from migraine combined with good tolerability and have been extensively used to treat patients in over 80 countries throughout the world.

'Zomig' Nasal Spray is highly effective and is the fastest-acting, patient friendly (non-injection) triptan formulation for acute migraine. Studies show that 'Zomig' Nasal Spray is detectable in the plasma in two minutes post dose , in the brain in five minutes , and significant headache response is seen within 10 minutes. 'Zomig' Nasal Spray has a good tolerability profile and is supplied in an easy-to-use, convenient device. The formulation was first launched in Sweden in January 2002 and is now widely available in Europe and North America.

Migraine and Zolmitripan Evaluation (MAZE) Survey

MAZE research has been carried out by an independent market research company. The survey is funded by an unrestricted educational grant provided by AstraZeneca. MAZE IV started as a UK pilot and will be continued in Canada. The four phases of MAZE have provided data on the prevalence of migraine (MAZE I), current experiences and treatment of migraine patients (MAZE II), impact of migraine on quality of life and families (MAZE III) and a 'snap shot' of what patients are actually doing in practice to treat their migraine (MAZE IV).

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world with healthcare sales of over $21.4 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology, cardiovascular, neuroscience and respiratory products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global and European) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.

In Neuroscience, AstraZeneca is dedicated to providing medicines that have the potential to change patients' lives. The company already markets several products including SEROQUEL®, the fastest growing major atypical agent, and ZOMIG, the leading 2nd generation triptan. The Neuroscience pipeline includes leading approaches for the treatment of depression and anxiety, overactive bladder, dementia, stroke, and pain control.

References.

1. MacGregor E, Brandes, J, Gendolla A et al. Migraine treatment strategies: the global Migraine And Zolmitriptan Evaluation (MAZE) survey - phase IV. Current Medical Research 2004;20(11):1777-1783.

2. Uemura N, Charlesworth B, Onishi T, Mitaniyama A, Kaneko T, Ninomiya K et al. Zolmitriptan is detectable in plasma as early as 2 to 5 minutes after administration by nasal spray. Headache 2003; 43(5):584. (Abstract).

3. Wall A., Kagedal M, Nilsson D., Yates R, Langstrom B., Bergstrom M. An open label positron emission tomography study to investigate the distribution of intranasally administered 11-C zolmitriptan into the CNS. European Journal of Neurology 2003;10(supplement 1):36. (Abstract).

4. Gawel M, Aschoff J, Lee J, Charlesworth BR. Zolmitriptan nasal spray is highly efficacious, very fast acting and produces sustained relief in the treatment of acute migraine in a real life setting: Results from phase I of the REALIZE study. Annals of Neurology 2003;54(Suppl 7):S32.

5. Dowson AJ, Boes-Hansen S, Farkkila AM. Zolmitriptan nasal spray is fast-acting and highly effective in the acute treatment of migraine. J Neurol 2000;7(suppl 3):82.

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