Efficacy and tolerability of MK-0974 (telcagepant), a new oral antagonist of calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor, compared with zolmitriptan for acute migraine: a randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-treatment trial

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of CGRP (Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide) in the context of migraine, published as a randomized controlled trial.

The researchers aimed to assess the clinical profile of MK-0974 (telcagepant), an orally bioavailable antagonist of CGRP receptor.

Why It Was Studied

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) probably has a role in migraine pathophysiology, and antagonism of its receptors might provide treatment without the vasoconstrictor effects of triptans.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults, both men and women.

The five co-primary endpoints were pain freedom, pain relief, or absence of photophobia, phonophobia, or nausea at 2 h after treatment.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and parallel-group study.

Because people in this CGRP (Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide) study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Blinding on both sides kept the participants and researchers unaware of who received CGRP (Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide).

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the CGRP (Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide) group a baseline to be compared against.

The CGRP (Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide) group and the comparison group ran side by side rather than switching.

Analysis was by the full analysis set and multiplicity was controlled for with a step-down closed-testing procedure.

This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00442936.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Azepines, Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide, Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Receptor Antagonists, Imidazoles, Migraine Disorders, Oxazolidinones and Serotonin Receptor Agonists.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of CGRP (Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide) in people with migraine.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 5 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2008 (Lancet (London, England)), a journal based in England.

More context: the CGRP (Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide) compound page, Migraine research.