Combining drugs to treat migraine headaches

“Old Drugs In, New Ones Out”, a story in the New York Times on July 1, 2007 reports on a growing trend in the pharmaceutical industry where two existing generic drugs are combined into a new more effective product. “Old Drugs In, New Ones Out”, a story in the New York Times on July 1, 2007 reports on a growing trend in the pharmaceutical industry where two existing generic drugs are combined into a new more effective product. One example is Trexima, a drug developed by Pozen and GlaxoSmithKline, which contains sumatriptan (Imitrex) and naproxen (Aleve). Combining drugs with different mechanisms of action results in an improved efficacy, although side effects could also add up. The New York Headache Center has participated in the trials of Trexima, which is expected to be approved by the FDA in August of this year.

Another example of combining two old ingredients is Migralex, a medication for the acute treatment of headaches, which is being developed by Dr. Alexander Mauskop. Migralex is expected to be available to patients by the end of 2009. It will contain a combination of aspirin and magnesium.  Migralex will have an improved side effect profile because magnesium has a protective effect on the stomach lining.