Efficacy and safety of MAP0004, orally inhaled DHE in treating migraines with and without allodynia.
BACKGROUND
Central sensitization develops once migraine attacks become established and can be clinically detected by the development of cutaneous allodynia. The efficacy of triptans for migraine resolution has been shown to be markedly reduced when administered in patients with established cutaneous allodynia.


OBJECTIVE
The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MAP0004, a novel, orally inhaled, form of dihydroergotamine, in patients with and without cutaneous allodynia at the time of treatment.


METHODS
This evaluation was a post hoc subanalysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2-arm, phase 3, multicenter study. The presence or absence of baseline cutaneous allodynia at the time of drug administration was based on the response to a standard questionnaire. Treatment efficacy at 2 hours posttreatment was compared in patients with and without baseline allodynia.


RESULTS
At the time of treatment, allodynia was present in 216 patients treated with MAP0004 and 202 patients treated with placebo. MAP0004 treatment efficacy was superior to placebo, as measured by 2-hour pain relief for patients with and without allodynia (P < .0001) and as measured by 2-hour pain freedom for patients with (P < .0001) and without (P < .0002) allodynia. No significant within-treatment differences after treatment with MAP0004 in patients with and without allodynia at baseline were observed. Patients were more likely to be allodynia-free after treatment with MAP0004 compared with placebo (73% vs 66%, P = .0013). Furthermore, treatment with MAP0004 prevented the development of allodynia in patients not experiencing allodynia at baseline (P = .0057). MAP0004 was generally well tolerated.


CONCLUSIONS
This post hoc subanalysis shows that MAP0004 was similarly effective in patients whether or not allodynia was present at treatment baseline. Patients were also more likely to be allodynia-free following treatment of a migraine with MAP0004.