Biohaven Announces Expanded Patient Access to Nurtec® ODT (rimegepant), Achieving Best-in-Class Commercial Insurance Coverage and Label Update
- Insurance Coverage of Nurtec ODT Now Totals 96 Percent of Commercial Lives or Approximately 255 Million Lives Covered in All Channels
- Nurtec ODT Label Expanded to include Lactation Data in the Prescribing and Patient Information for Breastfeeding Mothers
NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. (NYSE: BHVN) today announced two updates regarding Nurtec® ODT (rimegepant), the only FDA-approved medication to both treat and prevent migraine attacks in adults.
Achievement of Broader Commercial Insurance Coverage
Biohaven has secured additional commercial insurance coverage for Nurtec ODT starting in April 2022 that expands the total number of commercial lives covered to 96 percent or approximately 255 million people via all channels.
"Ensuring that people with migraine can have access to Nurtec ODT is the first priority for Biohaven," said Chris Barrett, SVP, Managed Markets and Government Affairs. "We hear from patients daily about the impact that Nurtec ODT has on their lives and the transformative effect it has in getting them back to what's important to them. We continue to focus on ways to enhance how people with migraine can easily access Nurtec ODT."
Updated Label to Include Data from Breastfeeding Women
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a label amendment of the Nurtec ODT (rimegepant) Prescribing and Patient Information to include clinical lactation data in the Use in Specific Populations section as it relates to women who are breastfeeding.
"Migraine is the most common cause of disability among women of reproductive age and this expanded label offers treating physicians and patients a migraine medication that can be further considered for those women who are breastfeeding," said Elyse Stock, MD, Chief Medical Officer. "Our data showed that excretion of rimegepant into human milk is very low and rimegepant was well tolerated by lactating women, offering them an option for the acute and preventive treatment of migraine."
The label amendment was approved based on data from a Phase 1, single-center, open-label study evaluating the excretion of a single dose of rimegepant 75 mg in the human milk of healthy lactating women, recently published in the peer-reviewed journal, Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.
Migraine affects more than 30 million women in America and is the most common cause of disability among women of reproductive age (15 – 49 years).1,2 Often for women with migraine, attacks may subside during pregnancy but resume within 4 weeks of childbirth.3 Given a lack of science-based information about migraine medication for nursing mothers, women are often apprehensive about taking their migraine medications while breastfeeding.
About Nurtec ODT
Nurtec® ODT (rimegepant) is the first and only calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist available in a quick-dissolve ODT formulation that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. The activity of the neuropeptide CGRP is thought to play a causal role in migraine pathophysiology. Nurtec ODT is a CGRP receptor antagonist that works by reversibly blocking CGRP receptors, thereby inhibiting the biologic activity of the CGRP neuropeptide. For more information about Nurtec ODT, visit www.nurtec.com.
Rimegepant is available as Nurtec® ODT in the United States for the acute and preventive treatment of migraine in adults. Biohaven and Pfizer Inc. recently announced a positive opinion by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency recommending the marketing authorization for rimegepant 75 mg for the acute and preventive treatment of migraine. If approved, the trade name will be Vydura™ in the European Union.
Indication
NURTEC ODT orally disintegrating tablets is a prescription medicine that is used to treat migraine in adults. It is for the acute treatment of migraine attacks with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine. It is not known if NURTEC ODT is safe and effective in children.
Important Safety Information
Do not take NURTEC ODT if you are allergic to NURTEC ODT (rimegepant) or any of its ingredients. Before you take NURTEC ODT, tell your healthcare provider (HCP) about all your medical conditions, including if you:
- have liver problems,
- have kidney problems,
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant,
- breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
Tell your HCP about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
NURTEC ODT may cause serious side effects including allergic reactions, trouble breathing and rash. This can happen days after you take NURTEC ODT. Call your HCP or get emergency help right away if you have swelling of the face, mouth, tongue, or throat or trouble breathing. This occurred in less than 1% of patients treated with NURTEC ODT.
The most common side effects of NURTEC ODT were nausea (2.7%) and stomach pain/indigestion (2.4%). These are not the only possible side effects of NURTEC ODT. Tell your HCP if you have any side effects.
You are encouraged to report side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1–800–FDA–1088 or report side effects to Biohaven at 1–833–4NURTEC.
See full Prescribing Information and Patient Information.
About Migraine
Nearly 40 million people in the U.S. suffer from migraine and the World Health Organization classifies migraine as one of the 10 most disabling medical illnesses. Migraine is characterized by debilitating attacks lasting four to 72 hours with multiple symptoms, including pulsating headaches of moderate to severe pain intensity that can be associated with nausea or vomiting, and/or sensitivity to sound (phonophobia) and sensitivity to light (photophobia). There is a significant unmet need for new treatments as more than 90 percent of people with migraine are unable to work or function normally during an attack.
CGRP Receptor Antagonism
Small molecule CGRP receptor antagonists represent a novel class of drugs for the treatment of migraine. CGRP receptor antagonists work by reversibly blocking CGRP receptors, thereby inhibiting the biologic activity of the CGRP neuropeptide. For acute treatment, this unique mode of action potentially offers an alternative to other agents, particularly for patients who have contraindications to the use of triptans or who have a poor response to triptans or are intolerant to them. CGRP signal-blocking therapies have not been associated with medication overuse headache (MOH) or rebound headaches which limits the clinical utility of other acute treatments due to increases in migraine attacks that result from frequent use.
About Biohaven
Biohaven is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative, best-in-class therapies to improve the lives of patients with debilitating neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases, including rare disorders. Biohaven's Neuroinnovation™ portfolio includes FDA-approved Nurtec ODT (rimegepant) for the acute and preventive treatment of migraine and a broad pipeline of late-stage product candidates across three distinct mechanistic platforms: CGRP receptor antagonism for the acute and preventive treatment of migraine; glutamate modulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder, and spinocerebellar ataxia; and MPO inhibition for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Kv7 Ion Channel Activators (Kv7), and Myostatin. More information about Biohaven is available at www.biohavenpharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the future development, timing and potential marketing approval and commercialization of NURTEC ODT (rimegepant), Vydura™ or rimegepant. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those that may be expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Additional important factors to be considered in connection with forward-looking statements are described in the "Risk Factors" section of Biohaven's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2022, and Biohaven's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements are made as of this date and Biohaven does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
NURTEC and NURTEC ODT are registered trademarks of Biohaven Pharmaceutical Ireland DAC. Neuroinnovation is a trademark of Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
Biohaven Contact
Jennifer Porcelli
Vice President, Investor Relations
[email protected]
201-248-0741
Media Contact
Mike Beyer
Sam Brown Inc.
[email protected]
312-961-2502
1. GBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators. Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet 2020;396:1204–1222.
2. GBD 2016 Headache Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of migraine and tension-type headache, 1990–2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet Neurol 2018;17:954–976.
3. Sances G, Granella F, Nappi RE, et al. Course of migraine during pregnancy and postpartum: A prospective study. Cephalalgia 2003;23:197–205.
SOURCE Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
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