London, April 18: In a breakthrough, scientists have found an antibody, a monthly dose of which could halve the number of debilitating attacks of migraine on patients who have exhausted all other treatments.
The findings showed that people treated with erenumab were nearly three times more likely to have reduced their migraine days by 50 per cent or more than those treated with placebo.
Those treated with erenumab also had a greater average reduction in the number of days they had headaches and the number of days they needed to take drugs to stop the migraines.
"Our study found that erenumab reduced the average number of monthly migraine headaches by more than 50 percent for nearly a third of study participants. That reduction in migraine headache frequency can greatly improve a person's quality of life," said Uwe Reuter from The Charite - University Medicine Berlin in Germany.
Erenumab is a monoclonal antibody that blocks pain signals by targeting a receptor for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP).
This peptide transmits migraine pain signals. Erenumab occupies the nerves to which CGRP would usually bind.
"Our results show that people who thought their migraines were difficult to prevent may actually have hope of finding pain relief," Reuter added.
The preliminary results will be presented at the forthcoming American Academy of Neurology's 70th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
For the study, 246 people who had episodic migraine were given injections of either 140 milligrams of erenumab or a placebo once a month for three months.
Of the participants, 39 per cent had been treated unsuccessfully with two other medications, 38 per cent with three medications and 23 per cent with four medications.
A total of 30 per cent of the people treated with erenumab had half the number of headaches compared to 14 per cent on placebo.
For those on erenumab, there was an average 1.6 times greater reduction in migraine days and a 1.7 times greater reduction in acute medication days compared to those on placebo.
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Ktaka CM inaugurates new Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday inaugurated the new Karnataka Bhavan building, 'Kaveri', in Delhi's Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave.
The project, which was first approved in 2019, saw its cost rise to approximately Rs 140 crore under successive state governments.
The new structure replaces the 50-year-old Karnataka Bhavan building that was declared unsafe by the New Delhi Municipal Council. Originally known as Mysore House, it was renamed Karnataka Bhavan in 1973.
The chief minister said his government wants to provide better facilities.
"(Congress president Mallikarjun) Kharge said in the new building, the chief minister's room is good but not the MLA rooms. We will keep in mind your suggestion. We will look into it seriously," the CM said during his inaugural address.
Siddaramaiah noted that the state government would consider providing better rooms with sitting areas at the two other Karnataka Bhavans in Delhi.
He emphasised on better coordination between the Centre and state, as both frame laws in the concurrent list, adding, "Without state development, the Centre cannot develop."
The CM explained that although the project was approved in 2019 with a two-year completion timeline, it ultimately took seven years, with delays attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kharge, who also serves as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, recalled staying at Karnataka Bhavan in Room number 1 for nine months during his tenure as labour minister at the Centre. He noted that while the new building has 42 rooms with better accommodations for ministers compared to MLAs, he has suggested improvements for the latter.
The Congress president also stressed the importance of maintaining food quality in the canteen and proper building upkeep.
He emphasised the need for a display board detailing the building's history, including the foundation stone laid by former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1963 and its inauguration by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during S Nijalingappa's term as chief minister.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who arrived late to the ceremony, said he would address the changes proposed by Kharge. Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi mentioned that the state government is working to acquire land to build accommodations for UPSC aspirants from Karnataka.
Before the inauguration, CM Siddaramaiah met Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to discuss pending state projects.
Karnataka MPs Jairam Ramesh and Sudha Murthy, state Ministers K H Muniappa, K N Rajanna, H C Mahadevappa, Karnataka's Deputy Leader of Opposition Arvind Bellad, and Special Representative to Delhi T B Jayachandra were among those who attended the event.
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