The FDA has just approved the third migraine medication this year

Migraine sufferers have gone from the absence of migraine-specific treatments to three new treatments this year.

The approval creates a rare competitive market in the pharmaceutical industry, and Lilly, like the companies behind the two previous drugs, offers little or no cost , to insured patients for a limited period.

On Thursday, Eli Lilly (lly) announced FDA-approved (generic: galcanezumab-gnlm) injections for the prevention of migraine headaches. On the same day, a federal judge dismissed two patent infringement suits filed by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (Teva) against Lilly for Emgality. Equality is also on the road to final approval in the European Union.

Galcanezunab inhibits the peptide associated with the calcitonin gene, a molecule targeted by researchers since the 1980s. One Amgen drug approved in May and one from Teva approved earlier in September are working on the same principle. The three medications approved for migraine should be given by injection, but Allergan is currently working on pills that would provide similar migraine-fighting compounds for both preventive and acute treatment. Alder Biopharmaceuticals also has potential treatment for migraine in human trials and another in preclinical research.

Emgality will have a list price of $ 6,900 a year, in the same range as the Amgen and Teva drugs. Like its competitors, Eli Lilly will offer the drug at no cost to insured patients for a period of 12 months (with a maximum price) while competing for insurers' prices, according to Bloomberg.

Migraines can affect up to 39 million Americans, with 4 million Americans suffering from daily symptoms, says the Migraine Research Foundation. Some 15 million Americans could benefit from this year's new class of migraine medications, said David Steinberg, an analyst at Jeffries. The annual market for migraine medications could reach $ 2.2 billion by 2025, according to a recent estimate.