Eli Lilly's migraine drug fails to prove superiority to Pfizer's

[June 17, 2023]  (Reuters) -Eli Lilly said on Friday its migraine prevention drug failed to show superiority to a rival from Pfizer Inc in a post-approval study.

The three-month study, which involved 580 patients, was the first-of-its-kind to compare the two approved drugs - Emgality and Nurtec, a drug Pfizer gained last year through an $11.6 billion acquisition of Biohaven Pharmaceutical.

The study, however, showed "clinically meaningful" efficacy and safety results for Emgality, similar to some previous studies of the drug, Lilly said.

Lilly's Emgality was approved in 2018 in the U.S. for preventive treatment of migraine in adults, and Pfizer's Nurtec ODT in 2020 for treatment of acute migraine and its use was expanded to cover prevention of episodic migraine the following year.

Lilly Biotechnology Center is shown in San Diego, California, U.S. March 1, 2023 after Eli Lilly and Co on Wednesday said it will cut list prices by 70% for its most commonly prescribed insulin products, Humalog and Humulin, beginning from the fourth quarter of this year. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

Globally, Emgality garnered sales of $154.3 million in the first quarter of this year, while Nurtec ODT recorded $167 million in the same period.

(Reporting by Leroy Leo and Raghav Mahobe in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

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