Sumavel DosePro delivers subcutaneous sumatriptan, a treatment that provides migraine relief starting within ten minutes for some patients, in a first-of-its-kind needle-free delivery system. Sumavel DosePro is expected to be available at most retail pharmacy outlets this month.
Zogenix and Astellas have an exclusive co-promotion agreement to market this delivery system in the US. Zogenix is focusing its sales activities primarily on the neurology market while Astellas is focusing principally on primary care physicians.
In two well-controlled clinical trials, with patients experiencing moderate or severe pain and one or more migraine symptoms, the efficacy of subcutaneous sumatriptan versus placebo was evaluated.
In these clinical trials, 16% of patients achieved relief within ten minutes versus 4% for placebo; 70% of patients achieved relief at one hour versus 22% for placebo; and 82% of patients achieved relief at two hours versus 39% for placebo.
Stephen Farr, president, chief operating officer and director of Zogenix, said: “We are extremely pleased to announce the introduction of Sumavel DosePro, which represents the first needle-free subcutaneous sumatriptan available to treat acute migraines.
“Given its unique attributes, Sumavel DosePro offers a new, fast-acting, non-oral option for patients who suffer from migraine. We believe Sumavel DosePro has the potential to not only replace needle-based injectable forms of sumatriptan, but also tablet and nasal triptan forms for many migraine episodes.”