Eli Lilly To Test Injectable Migraine Med Against Biohaven's Oral Nurtec In Head-To-Head Study

Eli Lilly And Co LLY will conduct a head-to-head study comparing once-monthly injectable Emgality (galcanezumab-gnlm) with Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co Ltd's BHVN Nurtec ODT (rimegepant) orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) patients take every other day.
Enrolling will start later this year.
The primary endpoint will be a 50% reduction in the number of headache days patients experience per month versus Nurtec ODT.
Both drugs are designed to target calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a protein in the brain that's thought to play a key role in migraines, Lilly said.
However, Lilly's drug binds to CGRP to prevent it from attaching to receptors, while Biohaven's Nurtec ODT blocks the receptor.
Nurtec ODT received approval in May and is the only drug that boasts FDA approvals to prevent and immediately treat migraines.
Meanwhile, Emgality is approved to prevent migraines and episodic cluster headaches in adults.
Price Action: LLY shares are down 1.37% at 223, and BHVN is down 6.39% at $94.04 during the market trading session on the last check Tuesday.