A study presented at this year’s American Academy of Neurology Virtual Annual Meeting offered important new data about how much it costs to be treated for migraines with onabotulinumtoxinA – usually called by its widely recognized brand name, Botox – and how likely patients are to return for future treatments.

While it has long been known that Botox provides a significant reduction in the duration, severity and frequency of migraine headaches for many patients, the new research took a look at a year of real-world data and found that patients who got Botox injections for migraines were more likely to return for additional treatment and that patients paid less for migraine treatment overall than they did when turning to newer CGRP mAbs treatments.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide monoclonal antibodies (CGRP mAbs) are a relatively new treatment for migraines that have been considered revolutionary because they are the first preventative medicine for migraines developed specifically for the purpose. All other preventatives were developed for other purposes and later found to be useful for migraines.

The CGRP mAbs treatments involved in the study include Eli Lilly’s Emgality (or galcanezumab), Amgen’s Aimovig (or erenumab) and Teva’s Ajovy (or fremanezumab).

What The Study Found About Botox For Migraine

The analysis of past insurance claims by AbbVie, the parent company of the maker of Botox, looked at nearly 2,700 adult claims on commercial insurance or Medicare for chronic migraine that involved treatment with either Botox or CGRP mAbs. Nearly 41 percent of patients treated with Botox persisted with the treatment while less than 28 percent treated with CGRP mAbs persisted.

The finding was surprising because CGRP mAbs treatments are often considered more convenient and comfortable than Botox since only a single injection is necessary per treatment – an injection that can be done at home.

AbbVie also looked at cost differences between Botox treatments for migraines and CGRP mAbs. After necessary adjustments, the analysis found that treatment costs were similar. Botox treatment, however, resulted in much lower costs for acute migraine medicines – a difference of $639 vs. $883 for the year. Botox treatments also resulted in lower costs of oral preventatives for the patients, at $313 vs. $413. Additional research could later determine specific reasons for the differences, which might include factors involving insurance coverage, tolerability or efficacy.

Hundreds Of Millions In Revenue With Botox For Migraines

Both Botox and CGRP mAbs are intended to be provided as a third-line therapy option for patients with chronic migraines who didn’t get good results from two of the daily preventatives usually prescribed. These include beta-adrenergic receptor blockers, antidepressants, calcium antagonists and anti-epileptics.

AbbVie’s study found that those with migraines are more likely to stick with Botox treatments and spend less per year on preventatives and acute treatment medicines than those who choose CGRP mAbs, which may be more convenient.

Further, Botox has proven through years of use to be well-tolerated by patients and to reduce migraine symptoms when given every 3 months. It can also help with shoulder and neck pain, which may accompany migraines. It is used to treat patients who have at least 15 migraine headaches per month but do not respond to first-line and second-line treatments.

Research has shown that CGRP mAbs treatments given once a month or once every 3 months as recommended by the maker can reduce average monthly migraine days for patients. Still, Botox for migraines is expected to generate more than $268 million in revenue by 2030 in the 7 nations where it is prescribed most.

Get Your Share Of The Revenue

If you’re a medical or dental professional considering adding Botox for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes to your practice, train with Dentox to learn from the best. Dentox training is offered in person, online and on demand and is led by Dr. Howard Katz, the original of Botox training. Reach out now to learn more or sign up for expert training from the company that started it all. You deserve your share of Botox revenue – and your migraine patients deserve proven Botox for migraine.