U.S. FDA approves Pfizer's nasal spray for migraine

[March 10, 2023]  (Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved Pfizer Inc's nasal spray for migraine, giving patients access to a potentially fast-acting option to treat their headaches.

The drug Zavzpret, also known as zavegepant, was approved for the treatment of acute migraine with or without aura in adults, the company said.

Pfizer added Zavzpret and a host of other migraine treatments, including Nurtec ODT, to it drugs portfolio through its $11.6 billion buyout of Biohaven Pharmaceutical last year.

Zavzpret belongs to a class of drugs called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors and will compete with other therapies from AbbVie Inc, Eli Lilly and Co, Amgen Inc and Teva Pharmaceutical.

Pfizer is hoping to gain a competitive edge with zavegepant's quicker speed of action than other migraine treatments. Biohaven has pitched it as the "Epipen of migraine".

Pfizer logo is seen in this illustration taken, May 1, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/

The approval is based on data from a late-stage study that showed the drug helped in relieving migraine pain in less than 15 minutes.

(Reporting by Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath and Anil D'Silva)

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