Long-term Atogepant in Real-world Practice

Preventive migraine therapies targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) pathway have transformed clinical practice, particularly monoclonal antibodies and, more recently, gepants. Atogepant, an oral CGRP receptor antagonist, has demonstrated efficacy and safety in randomized controlled trials and extensions across episodic, chronic, and treatment-refractory migraine populations. However, these studies are based on highly selected cohorts with limited external validity. In routine clinical practice, patients present with high disease burden, multiple preventive treatment failures, prior exposure to CGRP-targeted therapies, medication overuse, and psychiatric comorbidities, all of which may influence outcomes. Although short- and mid-term real-world data support clinically meaningful benefit within 3-6 months, evidence beyond this period remains limited, particularly regarding long-term effectiveness, tolerability, and treatment persistence, as well as sustained, delayed, or transient response trajectories.

This prospective multicentre observational study was conducted within the GEMA (GEpants in MigrAine-Atogepant) Project across 15 tertiary Headache Units in Spain. Adults with migraine initiating atogepant in routine clinical practice were consecutively enrolled between June 2024 and March 2025 and followed for 12 months. Data were collected at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months using standardized REDCap case report forms through structured interviews. Variables included sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, migraine phenotype, disease duration, prior preventive treatment failures, concomitant preventive therapies, monthly headache days (MHD), monthly migraine days (MMD), analgesic overuse, adverse events, and treatment discontinuation. Definitions were based on ICHD-3 criteria. In a subset, patient-reported outcomes were assessed using validated instruments: Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Analyses were performed using both all-available-observation and complete-case approaches, without imputation of missing outcome data.

Inclusion criteria

• Adults aged ≥18 years.
• Diagnosis of migraine with or without aura established by a headache specialist according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3), including both chronic and episodic migraine.
• History of migraine of at least 1 year duration.
• Stable preventive migraine treatment (if any) for at least the previous 3 months.
• Normal neurological examination.
• Fulfilment of national health system reimbursement criteria for atogepant treatment.

Exclusion criteria

• Cognitive impairment or any other condition that, in the investigator's opinion, may prevent the patient from reliably distinguishing prodromal symptoms.
• Presence of other active primary or secondary headache disorders, except medication overuse headache or infrequent tension-type headache.