BOTOX® has now been approved as a preventive treatment for chronic migraine by UK drug regulators; after having been approved by the FDA in the US. This will come as a welcome relief to know there is another treatment to add to the list as most sufferers really struggle to find a treatment that is totally effective.

The approvals come after a trial of more than 1,300 patients showed success in reducing the frequency of headaches.

• In clinical trials, patients were given up to five courses of injections of BOTOX® into specific head and neck muscles every 12 weeks.
• After 24 weeks, those treated with BOTOX® had fewer days with a migraine than those who received a placebo injection.
• By one year, nearly 70% of those treated with BOTOX® had a 50% reduction in the number of migraines compared with before the trial.

The MHRA (medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency) said only patients who suffer headaches for at least 2 weeks a month, half of which come with migraine symptoms, are eligible.