Lilly's OVERCOME Observational Study Reveals Inconsistent and Sub-Optimal Treatment Landscape for Migraine

-Data from OVERCOME showed that inconsistent care patterns, including high use of emergency department/urgent care settings, may be contributing to misdiagnosis, sub-optimal treatment and increased healthcare utilization(1)

-OVERCOME (Observational Survey of the Epidemiology, Treatment and Care of Migraine) aims to further understand the burden, stigma and barriers faced by people living with migraine

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Eli Lilly and Company

Jul 12, 2019, 08:00 ET

INDIANAPOLIS, July 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced the upcoming presentation of data highlighting inconsistent and sub-optimal treatment patterns that people living with migraine experience across the U.S. healthcare landscape, specifically related to where they receive care.¹ These data are from the OVERCOME (Observational Survey of the Epidemiology, Treatment and Care of Migraine) study, which collected responses from more than 20,000 people living with migraine. The results showed that people with migraine seek care in a variety of settings, with a significant portion seeking treatment in emergency department and urgent care settings.¹ These findings will be presented on Saturday, July 13, 2019, at the 61st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society taking place in Philadelphia.

"Living with migraine requires comprehensive and individualized management, much like other chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. While there could be important reasons to go to an emergency department or urgent care clinic when experiencing a migraine attack, these settings should not usually be the primary source of care. They have a limited ability to provide the optimal, personalized ongoing management this neurological disease requires," said Dawn C. Buse, Ph.D., clinical professor of Neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, American Headache Society Board Member at Large and scientific advisor to the OVERCOME study. "These results revealed that more efforts are needed to help people with migraine access appropriate primary and specialist care."

Among OVERCOME respondents with four or more migraine headache days per month (n=8,844), more than 60 percent reported seeking care during the last 12 months.¹ Of this group, 1 in 3 (33.6%) sought care for migraine at an emergency department or urgent care clinic.¹Furthermore, less than 5 percent of people seeking care at emergency departments, urgent care or retail clinics were prescribed migraine preventive medication even though they may have been eligible for this type of treatment.¹

"The OVERCOME study updates our knowledge of patterns of migraine diagnosis and treatment, as a prelude to improving medical care for migraine," said Richard B. Lipton, M.D., Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and director, Montefiore Headache Center, Montefiore Health System. Dr. Lipton serves as chair of the OVERCOME Study Scientific Advisory Panel. "For people with frequent migraine, the high rates of treatment in the emergency/urgent care settings, coupled with the low rates of preventive treatment in this group, suggests an opportunity for better patient care through improved management of the disease. With the knowledge gained from the OVERCOME study, we should be better positioned to understand the issues and advance recommendations to close this and other gaps in the treatment of migraine." Dr. Lipton serves as a consultant and advisory board member and has received honoraria from Eli Lilly and Company.

The study authors recommend more research be conducted to further understand whether improving consistency in migraine care across the healthcare landscape, and appropriately treating people with migraine in a specialist or primary care setting, improves patient outcomes and reduces the need for emergency or urgent care and associated burden to the healthcare system.¹

"Migraine is a common, costly disease. It can rob people of their right to work, right to participate and right to live life more fully," said Gudarz Davar, M.D., vice president, neurology development, Lilly Bio-Medicines. "It's important that the challenges across the care landscape are addressed so that those living with migraine receive not only the appropriate diagnosis, but treatment and ongoing management."

Lilly supports the efforts of advocacy and professional organizations such as the American Headache Society, the American Migraine Foundation, the Migraine Research Foundation and the National Headache Foundation, among others, to promote improved care across the healthcare landscape for people living with migraine.

About the OVERCOME Study
The Observational Survey of the Epidemiology, Treatment and Care of Migraine (OVERCOME) study aims to further understand the burden of migraine and stigma experienced by people living with the disease, identify barriers to appropriate treatment of migraine and assess how the introduction of novel treatment options may influence delivery of migraine care and outcomes.

The OVERCOME study is a prospective, web-based patient survey designed to follow two U.S. population samples of 20,000 people with migraine for two years following their enrollment. The first population sample began enrollment in 2018, with the second population sample to begin enrollment in 2020. In parallel, the study also includes two U.S. population samples of 10,000 people without migraine during the same enrollment periods, providing a unique perspective about how migraine is perceived by those who do not have the disease.

About the OVERCOME Scientific Advisory Board
The OVERCOME study is being conducted by Kantar on behalf of Eli Lilly and Company with expert guidance provided by some of the leading voices in migraine research today, including:

Dawn C. Buse, Ph.D., Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Clinical Health Psychology Doctoral Program of the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University
Michael L. Reed, Ph.D., President, Vedanta Research
Richard B. Lipton (Study Chair), M.D., Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Director, Montefiore Headache Center, Montefiore Health System
Robert E. Shapiro, M.D., Department of Neurological Sciences, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont
Sait Ashina, M.D., Department of Neurology and Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, and Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Susan Hutchinson, M.D., Orange County Migraine and Headache Center

About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve upon the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels. P-LLY

References:

Buse D. et al, Migraine Care Across the Healthcare Landscape in the United States Among Those with ≥4 Migraine Headache Days per Month: Results of the OVERCOME study. Abstract OR17. 61st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society (AHS), 2019.