There are many different theories about why the placebo effect works, such as high expectations, conditioned responses, and visual, verbal, & social cues (5). These can elicit real physiological responses in your central nervous system such as reduced activity in brain regions associated with pain processing (5).
The authors of the study said the placebo effect could be attributed to (4):
- The novelty of the treatment (and CGRPs in general)
- Route of administration
- High percentage of people receiving the actual medication, meaning people had higher expectations
- Number of patients who hadn’t tried preventive therapy before
Patients also were in regular contact with migraine care experts throughout the trial. They went to professionally supervised IV infusions, and had frequent follow-up contact via telephone & in-person visits (4). This ongoing support can improve mental health and behavioural management of migraine.
Other considerations & interactions
When taking a new medication it is important to consider your overall health, including lifestyle factors, health conditions, or other medications. Certain foods, vaccines, or other factors can affect how a medication works. These are called interactions.
Sometimes, interactions just cause the drug to be less effective. But in some cases, these interactions can be harmful or unsafe.
At this stage, Vyepti has no known interactions with other medications, foods, or health conditions. However, this doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. Please speak to your doctor before taking any new medications or supplements during your Vyepti treatment.
There is also very little research about Vyepti and (1):
- Cardiovascular disease (i.e. hypertension or ischemic heart disease)
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
Please consult your doctor if any of the above applies to you.
PBS listing update
On the 19th of August 2022, Vyepti received a positive recommendation by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) to be listed on the PBS. The government and manufacturer will now enter into negotiations to finalise pricing details before the listing is made available to patients eligible for PBS access.
The PBAC has recommended that Vyepti should be available on the PBS for chronic migraine patients who have found at least three other preventive medications to be ineffective or intolerable. They have also recommended that it should be added to the risk-sharing arrangement that exists for Ajovy and Emgality. This means that all three medications would share the same expenditure cap.
In the past negotiations can take anywhere from several months to several years. To be alerted when Vyepti is added to the PBS, sign up to the Migraine & Headache Australia newsletter.
Further information & resources
If you’d like to learn more about anything in this article, you can check out the following resources:
