Intranasal sumatriptan effective in adolescents with migraine

Intranasal sumatriptan is effective and generally well tolerated in the treatment of acute migraine in adolescent patients, according to the results from a study presented at the 56th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) [San Francisco, US; April−May 2004].1 A total of 738 patients aged 12−17 years were involved in the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The probability of achieving a headache response was significantly greater with sumatriptan 20mg nasal spray than with placebo at 30 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours postdose. The most frequently reported adverse event was taste disturbance. These results are consistent with previous results from a similar study conducted in US adolescents. Currently, none of the triptan class of headache medications has received US FDA approval for the treatment of migraine in adolescent patients.