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The changing face of migraine

Edited by: Messoud Ashina, Lars Edvinsson, Paolo Martelletti

Neuer InhaltMigraine management has long relied on medication developed to treat other conditions. However, after years of anticipation, the emergence of a new class of preventative drugs, created bespoke for migraine is now within our grasp. Targeted prophylactic migraine treatment is becoming a reality and the neuropeptide, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) plays a central role in this breakthrough.

Migraine, as a multisystemic disease, has always been conceptualized in the cardio-cerebrovascular compartment, and the monoclonal antibodies directed toward CGRP or its receptor, which do not pass the blood brain barrier, further validates this standpoint. The long-term trial data on these CGRP-targeting treatments is beginning to emerge and is proving them to be promising Disease-Modifying Migraine Drugs (DMMDs).

This Topical Collection explores the changing face of migraine and examines where we are in meeting the long-standing unmet need of a more individualized and targeted approach.

The APCs (article processing charges) for the articles in this thematic series ‘The changing face of migraine’ were made possible through independent educational sponsorship by Eli Lilly. Eli Lilly provided the funds through an educational grant which included enduring materials within the context of a symposium at the 12th European Headache Federation Congress in September 2018, chaired by Paolo Martelletti. This grant was provided to Springer Healthcare IME who organized the symposium and all of the enduring materials. Three of the articles in this thematic series were developed from content presented at the symposium.  Eli Lilly were not involved in the planning of the thematic series, the selection process for topics, nor in any peer review or decision-making processes. 

The articles have undergone the journal’s standard peer review process overseen by the Editor-in-Chief.  For articles where the Editor-in-Chief is an author, the peer review process was overseen by one of the other Editors responsible for this thematic series.

The Editors declare the following competing interests:

Messoud Ashina has received personal fees from Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Allergan, Amgen, Alder, Eli Lilly, Novartis and Teva. He participated in clinical trials as the principal investigator for Alder ALD403-CLIN-011 (Phase 3b), Amgen 20120178 (Phase 2), 20120295 (Phase 2), 20130255 (OLE), 20120297 (Phase 3), GM-11 gamma-Core-R trials, Novartis CAMG334a2301 (Phase 3b), Amgen PAC1 20150308 (Phase 2a) and Teva TV48125-CNS-30068 (Phase 3). He has no ownership interest and does not own stocks of any pharmaceutical company. Messoud Ashina is the Secretary of the European Headache Federation, President-Elect of the International Headache Society and a Co-Editor of The Journal of Headache and Pain.

Paolo Martelletti has received grants/research support and /or honoraria or consulting fees from Allergan, Amgen, Daiicki Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Novartis and Teva. He is a European expert for the European Medicines Agency. He is also Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Headache and Pain and is the Section Editor for Medicine of SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine. Paolo Martelletti is the Past President of the European Headache Federation.

Lars Edvinsson has given talks supported by Amgen, Novartis and TEVA. He is President of the International Headache Society and an Associate Editor of The Journal of Headache and Pain.

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  1. Understanding the mechanisms of migraine remains challenging as migraine is not a static disorder, and even in its episodic form migraine remains an “evolutive” chronic condition. Considerable progress has bee...

    Authors: Anna P. Andreou and Lars Edvinsson
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2019 20:117
  2. Migraine is a complex neurovascular disorder with a strong genetic component. There are rare monogenic forms of migraine, as well as more common polygenic forms; research into the genes involved in both types ...

    Authors: Heidi G. Sutherland, Cassie L. Albury and Lyn R. Griffiths
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2019 20:72
  3. Migraine is the most disabling and expensive chronic disorders, the etiology of which is still not fully known. The neuronal systems, (glutammatergic, dopaminergic, serotoninergic and GABA-ergic) whose functio...

    Authors: Leda Marina Pomes, Martina Guglielmetti, Enrico Bertamino, Maurizio Simmaco, Marina Borro and Paolo Martelletti
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2019 20:56
  4. The treatment of migraine is impeded by several difficulties, among which insufficient headache relief, side effects, and risk for developing medication overuse headache (MOH). Thus, new acutely acting antimig...

    Authors: Willem Sebastiaan van Hoogstraten and Antoinette MaassenVanDenBrink
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2019 20:54
  5. Migraine is a major public health issue associated with significant morbidity, considerable negative impact on quality of life, and significant socioeconomic burden. Preventive treatments are required to reduc...

    Authors: Cindy Tiseo, Raffaele Ornello, Francesca Pistoia and Simona Sacco
    Citation: The Journal of Headache and Pain 2019 20:49