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Published on: November 9, 2016
Investigating prophylactic botulinum toxin type A for chronic headache disorders
1University of Münster, Department of Neurology, Albert-Schweitzer-Street 33, 48129 Münster, Germany. everss@uni-muenster.de
Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs
|September 23, 2006
Summary
Botulinum toxin A shows limited efficacy for prophylactic headache treatment. Some chronic migraine patients may benefit from long-term botulinum toxin A therapy.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Botulinum toxin A is increasingly studied for headache treatment.
- Existing studies vary in design and endpoints, hindering comparisons.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of botulinum toxin A in treating various headache disorders.
- To synthesize evidence from randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.
Main Methods:
- Review of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials on botulinum toxin A for headache.
- Analysis of evidence for prophylactic treatment of tension-type headache, migraine, and cervicogenic headache.
- Assessment of evidence for chronic daily headache, including medication-overuse headache.
Main Results:
- Insufficient positive evidence for prophylactic treatment of tension-type, migraine, and cervicogenic headaches.
- Inconsistent positive evidence for subgroups of chronic daily headache, particularly those without other prophylactic treatments.
- Most studies do not confirm efficacy for idiopathic headache disorders.
Conclusions:
- Botulinum toxin A lacks robust evidence for widespread efficacy in idiopathic headache disorders.
- Certain subgroups of chronic migraine patients might benefit from long-term botulinum toxin A treatment (≥6 months).
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