Sustained response to onabotulinumtoxin A in patients with chronic migraine: real-life data

BACKGROUND: Treatment with onabotulinumtoxin A (BT-A) is safe and effective for chronic migraine (CM). Several studies assessed possible predictors of response to treatment with BT-A, but there is little knowledge on the frequency and predictors of sustained response. The aim of this study was to evaluate sustained response to BT-A in patients with CM. MAIN BODY: In this prospective open-label study, 115 patients with CM and treated with BT-A were consecutively enrolled in two Italian headache centers and followed up for 15 months. Anytime responders were defined as those patients who achieved a ≥ 50% reduction in headache days during any three-month treatment cycle compared with the 3 months prior to initiation of BT-A treatment. Sustained responders were defined as those who achieved a ≥ 50% reduction in headache days within the third treatment cycle and maintained response until the end of follow-up. Non-responders were defined as those patients who never achieved a ≥ 50% reduction in headache days during the follow-up. Headache characteristics prior to BT-A treatment were assessed in order to evaluate their ability in predicting treatment response. The 115 enrolled patients (84.3% female; median age 50 years) had a median migraine duration of 30 years (interquartile range 22–38). At the end of follow-up, 66 patients (57.4%) were classified as anytime responders. Among the 51 patients who achieved a clinical response within the third month of treatment, 33 (64.7%) were sustained responders. Patients with sustained response had a lower CM duration (median 31 vs 65 months; P = 0.030) and a lower number of headache days (median 25 vs 30; P = 0.013) at baseline compared with non-responders. CONCLUSIONS: About two thirds of patients who gain ≥50% response to BT-A within the third cycle of treatment maintain this positive response over time. More recent onset of CM and more headache-free days at baseline are associated with sustained response. We suggest not to delay preventive treatment of CM with BT-A, in order to increase the likelihood to achieve sustained clinical response.