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A new migraine medication developed by Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) has been approved by the US regulatory authorities. Galcanezumab, which will be marketed under the name Emgality, has been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration to be used in the treatment of recurrent and painful headaches. The company said in a statement that the injectable drug would be made available to patients shortly after approval. Equality is also on the road to final approval in the European Union.
Galcanezumab is part of a new class of therapies for migraine patients. These therapies inhibit the peptide linked to the calcitonin gene, a molecule produced in the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord. This class of drugs is the first to be specifically approved for the prevention of migraine headaches.
Migraines are very common and about 39 million people in the United States suffer from it. According to the Migraine Research Foundation, 4 million Americans suffer from daily symptoms. Most people with migraines are between the ages of 35 and 45 and most are women. It is estimated that 15 million Americans could benefit from this new class of migraine medications.
Eli Lilly said the price of Egality would be $ 6,900 a year, or $ 575 a month. The company said it would offer the drug free for a year to millions of patients benefiting from commercial insurance. The company will absorb the cost of the doses until the conclusion of the insurance contracts. Wei-Li Shao, vice president of Lilly's neuroscience division, said, "We are proposing this to ensure that patients can not start getting started when they need it."
The price is being sold at about the same price as similar drugs recently launched by Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) and Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA). Avovy de Teva is available until the end of 2019 for patients who have purchased commercial insurance without a share. Amgen charges patients with commercial insurance a share of USD 5 per month for Aimovig, which is capped at USD 2,700 per year.
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