Dosage
Emgality comes in a pre-filled autoinjector pen containing one 120mg dose.
- The first dose is 240mg (two injections)
- After that, you will have one 120mg dose each month (1).
Emgality is most effective if you take it at the same time every month, so it could be helpful to set a reminder or mark the day in your calendar. If you forget to take a dose, just inject it as soon as possible and resume monthly dosing. Speak to your doctor if you’re not sure what to do.
This medication is not a cure – unfortunately, there is no cure for migraine at this stage. Emgality is designed for long-term use in order to prevent migraine, so your attacks could return if you stop taking it. You can consult your doctor if you have any questions about how long you should take Emgality.
How is Emgality administered?
Emgality is injected subcutaneously (under the skin) with an autoinjector pen. It can be injected into your abdomen, thigh, upper arm, or buttocks.
A medical professional will teach you how to self administer this safely. If you are uncomfortable with self administration, your family member, GP, nurse or neurologist could help with this.
Given that injection site pain, redness, and itching are possible side effects, you could keep a cold compress or ice pack at hand to reduce this side effect.
How effective is Emgality?
Just like other migraine preventives, the efficacy of Emgality can vary from person to person. Some might find it very effective, while others might find it doesn’t help much at all.
A clinical trial measured the safety and efficacy of Emgality in 843 adults with episodic migraine over a six month period. They received either a 120mg, 240mg*, or placebo dose.
| 120mg dose (n = 210) | 240mg dose (n = 208) | Placebo (n = 425) |
| Average migraine days per month at baseline | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.1 |
| Average migraine days per month during treatment | 4.5 | 4.6 | 6.3 |
| Average reduction in migraine days | ‒4.7 | ‒4.6 | ‒2.8 |
| Percentage of patients with 50% or more reduction in migraine days | 62.3% | 60.9% | 38.6% |
| Percentage of patients with 75% or more reduction in migraine days | 38.8% | 38.5% | 19.3% |
| Percentage of patients with a 100% reduction in migraine days | 15.6% | 14.6% | 6.2% |
Source: V L Stauffer et al, 2018, Evaluation of Galcanezumab for the Prevention of Episodic Migraine: The EVOLVE-1 Randomized Clinical Trial.
*240mg doses are not prescribed on a monthly basis. This was for the purpose of the study only.
This study shows a clinically significant reduction in monthly migraine days for patients with episodic migraine. Other studies also found Emgality to be more effective than placebo, however there was some variation in efficacy.
In a trial with chronic migraine patients, fewer patients experienced a 50%, 75%, or 100% reduction in migraine days. The average reduction in migraine days per month was about the same, with a 4.8 day reduction. However, the chronic migraine patients had an average of 19.4 migraine days per month before treatment, compared to 9.2 days in the episodic group (3).
If you try Emgality (or any other CGRP monoclonal antibodies) and you don’t find it effective, don’t be discouraged. Some people will not respond to one CGRP monoclonal antibody but find another very helpful. You can discuss your options with your doctor.
