A recent survey of adult migraine sufferers supports a commonly held belief among physicians that multiple dosing options will lead to an increase in compliance with new migraine medications, according to a study recently published in The Journal of Headache and Pain.
New Report Addresses Distinct Challenges in Utilizing ICER to Assess Value of Rare Disease Treatments
BOSTON, MA – Today, Pioneer Institute released a new report, Looming Challenges for ICER in Assessing the Value of Rare Disease Therapies, that examines why the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) and the Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY) approach to value assessment is particularly ill-suited to assess the cost-effectiveness of orphan and rare disease treatments, which represent a rapidly growing sector of the biopharmaceutical marketplace.
A Year After Approval, Migraine Drugs Are Changing Lives. But Insurance Battles Are Creating a Whole New Headache
Last May, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Amgen and Novartis’ Aimovig, the first drug specifically designed to prevent chronic migraines, and offered new hope to the millions of Americans regularly weathering these debilitating headaches. Just months later came two other drugs in its class, Eli Lilly’s Emgality and Teva Pharmaceuticals’ Ajovy.
To save money, my insurance company forced me to try drugs that didn’t work
I’ve had migraines since I was 12, but in 2015 my attacks got much worse. Without migraine-specific painkillers, my migraines make me queasy and tired, forcing me to go to bed with a freezing wet towel on my head.
Chronic Migraine, Chronic Insurer Denials
“It was so bad. It just wouldn’t quit.” Sara, a new patient, was sitting in my office describing a migraine attack that had led to a recent hospitalization. Except it wasn’t exactly the migraine that led to hospitalization. It was, I found out, an attempted suicide, prompted by the relentless impact of chronic migraine.
Can ICER Fix What's Broken?
Health Plan Barriers & Migraine Are a Losing Combination
Introducing: Migraine at Work
Migraine at Work, a project of the Headache and Migraine Policy Forum, has launched a new website to support employers and employees with the tools they need to build happier, healthier and more productive workplaces. Whether you’re looking to initiate a positive conversation with your employer or simply learn about effective strategies for managing your disease at work, this website is a great place to start.
Amgen is a founding sponsor of Migraine at Work.
AMA calls pain task force recommendations a road map for future policy
New "Fast Facts" Scrutinizes ICER
Policymakers, providers and patients all feel the impact of The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, whose ubiquitous cost-effectiveness reports can determine patients’ access to medicine. But could these stakeholders and the public find real answers to basic questions – like “What is ICER?” and “Who controls ICER?”
Non-Medical Switching Hurts Patients
In a first-of-its-kind study, the Alliance for Patient Access reveals that non-medical switching, where insurers or pharmacy benefit managers drive stable patients to switch to lower-cost medicines, can levy widespread damage on patients' quality of life.
Policy Event Spotlights Migraine & Disability Issues
HMPF Capitol Hill Policy Forum 2019
Non-Medical Switching of Neurotoxins
Botulinum neurotoxins can bring relief to patients who experience migraine, involuntary twitching, and excessive sweating. Learn what happens when health plans switch patients' medication in this video.
The Migraine Thief
For years, migraine disease stole time, personal goals, career plans and even Jaime Sanders’ ideal of motherhood. But her condition no longer manages her, she manages it—and she advocates so migraine disease patients can access the innovative medications they need.
Which Migraine Patients Should Get CGRP Drugs?
Amplifying the Migraine Community's Voice in ICER's Value Assessment Process
Speeding Progress in Migraine Requires Unraveling Sex Differences
To decrease the substantial health and economic burden of migraine on individuals and society, researchers need to examine and address how the disease differs between women and men, according to a report from the Society for Women’s Health Research published in the August issue of the Journal of Women’s Health.
Patients' Fight for Access
Migraine patients deserve access to innovative therapies. Ready to get involved? Watch their story and join the fight for access now.
Veterans Issues Dominate Headache Policy Event
from Institute for Patient Access
Add migraine to the long list of battles faced by veterans of the United States Armed Services.
In a Tuesday policy panel sponsored by The Headache and Migraine Policy Forum, experts from across the health care and veterans support spectrum weighed in on how migraine and headache disorders impact veterans – and whether these women and men can access the treatment they need.
The conversation highlighted several issues:
Personalized Treatment
“If you’ve seen one patient, you’ve seen one patient,” explained James R. Couch, Jr., MD, PhD, the acting medical director for the Comprehensive Inpatient Integrated Rehabilitation Program at Oklahoma City’s VA Medical Center. “Don’t try to mash them all together and say ‘this should work for everybody.’”
Iraq and Afghanistan’s Impact
“These soliders were changed while they were protecting us and our freedoms,” noted Alan Finkel, MD, who treats active-duty soliders at Fort Bragg. Calling affected veterans, “armies of one,” Dr. Finkel alluded to migraine comorbidities such as severe depression, PTSD, sleep disturbances and anxiety.
Access
“I am amazed on a daily basis at the breadth of the services that are available and can be made availalbe to our veterans,” noted Donald S. Higgins, MD, the national program director for neurology at the Veterans Health Administration. Dr. Higgins noted that life-changing, cutting-edge therapies are available at the VA system, as are telehealth and teleneurology applications.
Panelists agreed on the need for more trained headache specialists. “We used to get no lectures on headache in medical school,” Dr. James Couch noted, adding, “Now we get two to three or more. Gradually, we’re improving. This should continue.”
Stigma
Christopher Meek, co-founder and CEO of SoldierStrong Access, described the impact of stigma on veterans and active duty servicemembers. The “warrior effect” can keep veterans from acknowledging their disorder and seeking treatment. Having migraine or another headache disorder “makes them feel like a failure,” Meeks explained, “It takes them to a dark place.”
David Charles, MD, neurologist and chairman of the Alliance for Patient Access, moderated the panel.
The Headache & Migraine Policy Forum advances public policies that promote accelerated innovation and improved treatments for headache and migraine sufferers. Its policy forum coincided with more than 225 Capitol Hill meetings as part of the annual Headache on the Hill advocacy day, sponsored by the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy.
Headache on the Hill brings health care professionals, migraine advocates and patients to Capitol Hill to raise awareness about the impact of headache and migraine disorders and to seek increased research funding. This marked the event’s 11th year.