Almotriptan and zolmitriptan in the acute treatment of migraine

Objective: To compare almotriptan and zolmitriptan in the treatment of acute migraine. Methods: This multicentre, double-blind trial randomized adult migraineurs to almotriptan 12.5 mg (n = 532) or zolmitriptan 2.5 mg (n = 530) for the treatment of a single migraine attack. The primary end point was sustained pain free plus no adverse events (SNAE); other end points included pain relief and pain free at several time points, sustained pain free, headache recurrence, use of rescue medication, functional impairment, time lost because of migraine, treatment acceptability, and overall treatment satisfaction. Results: No significant difference was seen in SNAE (almotriptan 29.2% vs zolmitriptan 31.8%) or the other efficacy end points measured. The incidence of triptan-associated AEs and triptan-associated central nervous system AEs was significantly lower for patients receiving almotriptan compared to zolmitriptan. Conclusions: Almotriptan and zolmitriptan were associated with similar efficacy and overall tolerability in the treatment of acute migraine. Almotriptan was associated with a significantly lower rate of triptan-associated AEs.