WORDS LIM TECK CHOON
 FEATURED EXPERTDR JULIA SHAHNAZ MERICAN Consultant Neurologist Prince Court Medical Centre |
Recently, pharmaceutical company Pfizer Malaysia announced the availability of NURTEC™ (rimegepant) in Malaysia.
WHAT IS IT FOR?
Well, it’s a prescription medication designed to treat acute migraine and prevent migraine attacks.
MORE ABOUT MIGRAINE
Dr Julia Shahnaz Merican shares that migraine can present itself with or without aura.
Those suffering from migraine with aura tend to experience visual disturbances such as dots, sparks or zigzags before a migraine attack.
These visual disturbances are absent in migraine without aura, which is the more common type of migraine.
“Regardless of the type, migraines significantly disrupt one’s quality of life, often forcing patients to seek solace in a dark room until the pain and symptoms subside,” Dr Julia says.
HOW DOES THIS MEDICATION WORK?
“While the exact cause of migraine remains a mystery, over the past 30 years, clinical and preclinical studies have investigated the role of a neuropeptide called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in migraine occurrence,” Dr Julia reveals.
NURTEC™ works as a CGRP receptor antagonist.
What this means is that it can act to block the effects of CGRP, thus helping to provide pain relief during migraine attacks.
Furthermore, this medication has received approval for use in reducing the frequency of future migraine attacks when used preventively.
| NURTEC™ is for oral use and is currently available in Malaysia. It is a prescription medicine, which means you will need a doctor’s prescription to obtain it. If you believe that you may benefit from this medication, please discuss this matter further with your doctor. |
Reference: Pfizer Malaysia Sdn Bhd. (2024, January 18). NURTEC™ (rimegepant) is now available in Malaysia for both acute treatment of migraine and prophylactic treatment of episodic migraine [Press release, KKLIU 0244 / EXP 15.07.2024].
