In this receptor pharmacology study, MAP0004 stimulated receptors that relieve migraine at levels comparable to IV dihydroergotamine (DHE), but did not activate receptors associated with side effects frequently seen with IV dihydroergotamine. In addition, MAP0004 did not affect receptors that have a role in regulating pulmonary function.
MAP0004 is designed to be self-administered by patients at home via Map Pharmaceuticals’s proprietary Tempo inhaler. In Phase II studies with migraneurs and with asthmatics, treatment with MAP0004 was well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events reported.
Thomas Armer, chief scientific officer of Map Pharmaceuticals, said: “The selective binding of MAP0004 at receptors associated with migraine rather than those associated with side effects offers a mechanistic hypothesis for the favorable safety and efficacy profile of MAP0004 compared to IV DHE that we have observed in our initial clinical studies.”