Migraine annual economic and quality-of-life burden in UK
pharmafile | October 1, 2026 | News story | | AbbVie UK, Health Innovation Manchester, migraine, quality-of-life burden
Migraine affects an estimated 280,000 people across Greater Manchester and creates an annual economic and quality-of-life burden of around £870m, according to a report from Health Innovation Manchester and AbbVie UK.
The report, based on linked healthcare data, health economic modelling, pathway analysis and patient and healthcare professional insights, estimates that £546m of the burden relates to quality-of-life impacts, £295m to lost productivity and £29m to direct healthcare costs.
It found that only around one-third of people thought to have migraine are captured in recorded diagnosed or actively treated populations, although gaps in diagnosis and routine recording mean the true burden may be higher.
The analysis also identified variation in diagnosis, treatment and access to specialist care. Of patients newly diagnosed between 2019 and 2024, 55% received preventative treatment, while around 1% reached fourth-line treatment during the evaluation period.
The report recommends a standardised NICE-aligned migraine pathway, greater capacity in primary and community care, a population health approach to identifying unmet need, and more consistent treatment review and escalation.
Laura Rooney, Deputy Chief Executive at Health Innovation Manchester, said: “Many people are living without a diagnosis, navigating fragmented services or waiting too long for their treatment to be reviewed and optimised.”
The report was produced through a collaborative working project between Health Innovation Manchester and AbbVie. It concludes that the findings could inform migraine care planning elsewhere in the UK, although the analysis is specifically based on Greater Manchester.
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