The treatment efficacy of galcanezumab for migraine: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The treatment efficacy of galcanezumab for migraine remained controversial. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the influence of galcanezumab versus placebo on the treatment of migraine. We searched PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases through October 2018 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of galcanezumab versus placebo for patients with migraine. This meta-analysis was performed using the random-effect model. Six RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, compared with control group for migraine patients, galcanezumab resulted in greater overall mean reduction in the number of monthly migraine headache day (MHD) (P < 0.05). In contrast, galcanezumab was associated with increased adverse events (risk ratio (RR) = 1.08; 95% CI = 1.01-1.15; P = 0.02), but with no significant impact on serious adverse events between two groups (RR = 2.0; 95% CI = 0.95-4.21; P = 0.07).Galcanezumab showed favorable promotion for the preventive treatment of migraine patients.