US FDA approves Lilly migraine drug; price same as rivals

[NEW YORK] Eli Lilly and Co on Thursday said the US Food and Drug Administration approved its migraine drug Emgality, marking the third approval from a promising new class of treatments for the often debilitating headaches.

Lilly said it plans to sell the drug, known chemically as galcanezumab, at a list price of US$6,900 a year, or US$575 month. That is identical to the list prices for the other new migraine treatments, Aimovig from Amgen Inc and Novartis AG , and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's Ajovy.

The three medicines, most commonly administered as monthly self-injections, belong to a class of biotech drugs known as CGRP inhibitors that block a protein involved in setting off migraines. CGRP, or calcitonin gene-related peptide, is believed to be involved in the migraine process, such as dilation of blood vessels in the brain.

REUTERS