In recent years, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-targeting drugs have emerged as highly effective interventions for the prevention and acute treatment of migraine. A new phase III trial published in Nature Medicine has shown that the small-molecule CGRP receptor antagonist ubrogepant can also alleviate premonitory symptoms in the prodromal phase of migraine.

The PRODROME trial examined the effects of ubrogepant in 477 individuals who were experiencing common premonitory symptoms, such as photophobia (sensitivity to light), phonophobia (sensitivity to sound) and cognitive dysfunction, and were confident that they would develop a migraine headache within 1–6 h. The drug produced substantial improvements in these symptoms, sometimes as early as 1 h after treatment.