A migraine is a painful headache and triptans are available drugs for this acute attack treatment. But because of its vasoconstrictive properties, these drugs are prohibited in patients with vascular conditions. Other limitations of these drugs include side effects like inconsistency in therapeutic action and possible non-responsiveness.

Lasmiditan, a highly selective 5-HT1F receptor agonist, acts as a novel acute anti-migraine agent which does not cause vasoconstriction.

The recent article published in Expert Opin Pharmacother evaluated the clinical efficacy and safety of oral and intravenous Lasmiditan as treatment approach for migraine. This was a review that analysed all currently available results in Phase I to III studies.

The analysis of studies showed a significant headache improvement in patients treated with Lasmiditan than placebo.  It also showed that Lasmiditan is a promising acute migraine therapy, specifically in patients at increased cardiovascular risk. The clinical efficacy of Lasmiditan proves that vasoconstriction is not essential for acute migraine therapy but also points to a well-established trigeminal contribution, to central neuronal mechanisms in migraine pathophysiology. Lasmiditan penetrates the blood-brain barrier, so CNS associated adverse events are common. But these side effects are often mild to moderate severity. The results of long-term Phase III studies will determine if these adverse events represent a limitation in clinical practice.