What is Emgality?
Emgality (galcanezumab-gnlm) is a medication used for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults. It is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a molecule involved in migraine attacks. Emgality is administered subcutaneously once a month and works by blocking the binding of CGRP to its receptor, thus reducing the inflammation and pain associated with migraines.
Emgality has been shown to effectively reduce the number of monthly migraine headache days in clinical studies. It is available by prescription in the United States and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since September 2018. Emgality has also been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the prevention of migraine in adults.
Emgality is generally well-tolerated , with the most common side effects including injection site reactions and constipation. Like all medications, Emgality may cause serious side effects, including allergic reactions, so it is important to discuss any potential risks with a healthcare professional before starting treatment.
Emgality is manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company and a savings card is available for eligible patients to help reduce the cost of treatment. Patients who have questions or concerns about Emgality can call The Emgality Answers Center for assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions about emgality
Emgality works by blocking the action of a protein called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). CGRP can play a role in causing migraine headaches. By stopping CGRP from working, Emgality helps prevent migraine headaches. But the drug isn't likely to relieve symptoms once you already have a migraine headache.
Emgality is indicated for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults. Under this license, you are approved to manufacture galcanezumab-gnlm at your facility, ImClone Systems LLC, in Branchburg, New Jersey.
The active ingredient in EMGALITY is galcanezumab. Galcanezumab belongs to a group of preventative medicines that stop the activity of a naturally occurring substance in the body called calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP). Increased levels of CGRP have been associated with migraine.
Lilly USA, LLC. DOF-GZ-US-0190. Emgality. Prescribing Information.
Comparing Botox vs Emgality. Botox has an average rating of 5.6 out of 10 from a total of 456 ratings on Drugs.com. 46% of reviewers reported a positive effect, while 43% reported a negative effect. Emgality has an average rating of 4.8 out of 10 from a total of 437 ratings on Drugs.com.
Effectiveness for migraine prevention
In a clinical study of people with chronic migraine, people taking Emgality lowered their number of monthly headache days by 4.8 days. In comparison, people taking a placebo (a treatment with no active drug) lowered their number of monthly headache days by 2.7 days.
They found that in 70 of their patients who were treated with Emgality, 40% experienced at least a 30% relief of symptoms, with nearly 60% of patients reporting between a 31% to 100% improvement.
Emgality is a CGRP antibody migraine treatment that was specifically developed to bind to CGRP, a substance in the brain that may play a key role in migraine, and block its binding to the receptor. CGRP = calcitonin gene-related peptide.
Emgality isn't known to cause any long-term side effects. If you have questions about side effects of Emgality, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
If Emgality is effective at preventing migraine headaches for you, you and your doctor may decide to continue treatment with Emgality long term. If Emgality is effective at treating your cluster headaches, you and your doctor may decide to continue treatment until your cluster headache period ends.
Bottom line: Aimovig had a slightly bigger decrease in chronic migraine days per month and also a bigger percentage of patients had their chronic migraines reduced by half compared to Emgality.
