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How long does Qulipta take to work?

Medically reviewed by Leigh Ann Anderson, PharmD. Last updated on Feb 7, 2024.

Official answer

by Drugs.com

Qulipta begins working in the first week of treatment to help prevent migraine headaches. Some patients report fewer migraines in the first 7 days after starting treatment. In studies, the majority of patients (56% to 61%) were able to cut their migraine days by 50% to 100% after 12 weeks.

Qulipta studies

One day: Researchers observed that 88% (185 / 211) patients with episodic migraine headaches did not have a migraine the day after taking a Qulipta 60 mg dose, compared to 75% (151 / 202) taking a placebo pill.

One week: After one week, there was a 53% reduction in the number of weekly episodic migraine days in people taking Qulipta 60 mg per day compared to a 15% reduction for the placebo group.

  • People taking Qulipta had about 2 migraine days per week at the start of the study, which dropped by 1 migraine per week after taking Qulipta for 7 days.
  • This compared to people taking the placebo (inactive pill) per day, who also had about 2 migraines per week at the start of the study. Their number of weekly migraine days dropped by less than 1 migraine per week.

12 weeks: Phase 3 clinical studies show that after 12 weeks patients experienced a significant 4.2-day per month reduction (54%) in episodic migraine and a 6.9-day per month reduction (36%) in chronic migraines.

The majority of patients (56% to 61%) were able to cut their migraine days by 50% to 100%, compared to 29% of patients taking a placebo pill with no medicine.

Note: One day and one week results from the ADVANCE Phase 2b/3 dose-finding study were an additional (not primary) endpoint of the study and therefore cannot be used for statistical significance.

What were the Qulipta study results?

Randomized, placebo controlled, 12-week long studies looked at how well Qulipta worked in patients to prevent episodic migraines or chronic migraines.

  • People who have episodic migraines usually have 14 or fewer migraine days per month.
  • People who have chronic migraines usually have 15 or more headache days per month, each lasting 4 hours or longer.

During the studies patients were also allowed to use headache treatments for immediate relief, like triptans, ergotamines, NSAIDs, acetaminophen, and opioids, as needed.

Episodic migraine prevention

In the ADVANCE Phase 3, 12-week long study in 910 adults, patients had an average of 7.5 to 7.8 days of episodic migraine headaches per month at the beginning of the study.

When treated with Qulipta 60 mg per day, patients experienced a 4.2-day (54%) reduction in monthly migraine days. Similar results were seen with the 10 mg and 30 mg doses. Patients receiving an inactive pill (placebo) had 2.5 (33%) fewer monthly migraine days.

In addition, over the 12 week period, 56% to 61% of patients achieved a statistically significant 50% to 100% reduction in migraine days, compared to 29% of patients in the placebo arm.

Related Questions

Chronic migraine prevention

The Phase 3 PROGRESS study was conducted in 521 patients with an average of 19 days of chronic migraine headaches per month.

Overall, patients had an average 6.9-day (36%) reduction when treated with 60 mg daily of Qulipta over 12-weeks. This result was found to be significant when compared to a reduction of 5.1 days (27%) in the placebo group.

The most common side effects across all studies in patients treated with Qulipta included constipation (6% to 8%), nausea (5% to 9%) and feeling sleepy / fatigue (4% to 5%).

How long does Qulipta work?

Qulipta (atogepant) is a daily, oral prescription medicine meant for long-term prevention of migraine headaches. Follow your doctor's dosing instructions exactly.

In a 52-week long, open-label safety study looking at 335 people with episodic migraines, 84% of patients achieved at 50% to 100% monthly migraine day reduction at one year (weeks 49 to 52).

In addition, 48% of patients achieved a 100% reduction in monthly migraine days (meaning no monthly migraine days) at one year (weeks 49 to 52).

Because the 52-week long study was open-label (not blinded) and observational with no control group, the results should be interpreted with caution.

Can Qulipta stop migraine headaches?

In episodic migraine headache studies, 8% percent of patients taking Qulipta 60 mg achieved a 100% response rate, equal to no monthly migraine days over the 12 week period, compared to 2% of adults taking a placebo pill.

When is the best time to take Qulipta?

Take your prescribed dose each day at about the same time, with or without food. Some people feel tired or sleepy when taking Qulipta. If this occurs, ask your healthcare provider if you can take your dose at bedtime. If you feel nauseous, take your daily dose at mealtime.

Keep in mind that your individual results may vary depending on your drug dose, migraine severity and response to treatment. Talk to your healthcare provider about your expected results when using Qulipta for migraine prevention.

This is not all the information you need to know about Qulipta (atogepant) for safe and effective use and does not take the place of your doctor’s directions. Review the full product information and discuss this information and any questions you have with your doctor or other health care provider.

References
  • Ailani J, Lipton RB, Goadsby PJ, Guo H, Miceli R, Severt L, Finnegan M, Trugman JM; ADVANCE Study Group. Atogepant for the Preventive Treatment of Migraine. N Engl J Med. 2021 Aug 19;385(8):695-706. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2035908. PMID: 34407343.
  • Qulipta (atogepant) prescribing information. Revised June 2023. AbbVie Inc. North Chicago, Illinois. Accessed Nov 20, 2023.
  • Qulipta.com. AbbVie Inc. Accessed Nov 20, 2023 at https://www.quliptahcp.com/powerful#episodic
  • Data on file. AbbVie Inc. 
  • Qulipta.com. Healthcare professionals information. AbbVie Inc. Accessed Nov 20, 2023 at https://www.quliptahcp.com/continuous-control 

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