NICE backs atogepant for acute migraine treatment
pharmafile | June 12, 2026 | News story | | NICE, atogepant, migraine treatment
NICE has issued Final Draft Guidance recommending AbbVie’s AQUIPTA (atogepant) as an option for the acute treatment of migraine, with or without aura, in adults who have not responded adequately to at least two triptans or who cannot take them.
The recommendation also applies to patients whose migraines have not been adequately controlled with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and paracetamol.
Migraine affects around ten million adults in the UK and is associated with symptoms including recurrent moderate to severe throbbing or pulsating head pain, nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Beyond its impact on quality of life, the condition is estimated to cost the UK economy £8.8bn annually through lost productivity.
Rob Music, Chief Executive Officer of The Migraine Trust, welcomed the decision, noting that many patients face difficulties accessing effective treatment and often need to try multiple therapies before finding one that works.
The recommendation is supported by data from the phase 3 ECLIPSE study, which evaluated atogepant for acute migraine treatment. The trial met its primary endpoint, with 24.3% of patients receiving atogepant achieving pain freedom two hours after treatment compared with 13.1% receiving placebo.
No individual treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in more than 2% of patients during treatment of the first migraine attack. The most frequently reported adverse events during the study were nasopharyngitis and upper respiratory tract infection.
Professor Alex Sinclair, Professor of Neurology at the University of Birmingham and Chair of the British Association for the Study of Headache (BASH) Council, said the recommendation provided clinicians with an additional treatment option for suitable patients experiencing acute migraine attacks.
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