text_1: Migraine drug could halve the length of attacks, study shows
text_2: The Guardian covers a new phase III clinical trial of erenumab, a drug injected monthly, designed to reduce the frequency of painful migraines. The piece does a good job putting the results into context and even compares those findings to the placebo group, giving them a more transparent and helpful context. However, readers would have appreciated being told more of the basics. What are the possible side effects? How much might the drug cost? How is this different from other migraine treatments? Many news organizations used more sensational “breakthrough” language than The Guardian did in this story. But this was still only half a loaf, inexplicably reporting on one migraine study in the New England Journal of Medicine without even mentioning or linking to another migraine study in the same journal with a somewhat similar antibody agent. Why? About one in four US homes and perhaps 12% of the US population (much of it female) experiences migraines, according to the Migraine Research Foundation, affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people each year. There’s no cure-all for the severe headaches, and current treatments and preventative drugs can cause unwanted side effects like tiredness, dizziness, nausea, weakness, heart rate issues, and more. So any alternative that is both effective and safe would be good news. But, as Dr. Richard Lehman wrote on his terrific BMJ blog, “the real worry is that antibodies beget antibodies, and we don’t know how long these (drugs) will remain effective or what long-term harms they might have.” And The Guardian story didn’t adequately address either concern.