Comparison of rizatriptan 5 mg and 10 mg tablets and sumatriptan 25 mg and 50 mg tablets

This randomized, double-blind, two-attack, placebo-controlled, crossover study explored the efficacy and tolerability of rizatriptan 10 mg compared with sumatriptan 50 mg as well as rizatriptan 5 mg compared with sumatriptan 25 mg in the acute treatment of migraine. Following randomization to one of six possible treatment sequences, patients (n = 1447) treated two sequential attacks, of moderate or severe intensity, separated by at least 5 days. Patients assessed pain severity, migraine-associated symptoms, and functional disability at 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 h post treatment. Compared with placebo, all treatments were effective. On the primary endpoint of time to pain relief, rizatriptan 10 mg was not statistically different from sumatriptan 50 mg [odds ratio (OR) 1.10, P = 0.161], and rizatriptan 5 mg was statistically superior to sumatriptan 25 mg (OR 1.22, P = 0.007). In general, rizatriptan 10 mg and 5 mg treatment resulted in improvement compared with the corresponding doses of sumatriptan on measures of pain severity, migraine symptoms, and functional disability and the 5-mg dose reached statistical significance on almost all measures. All treatments were generally well tolerated.