This study sought to compare patient-reported outcomes and healthcare resource use (HCRU) for individuals using rimegepant or triptans for acute treatment of migraine.

Several medications are commonly prescribed for the acute treatment of migraines in the US, including triptans and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonists.  

This cross-sectional study included data from adults (aged ≥18 years) who reported a physician diagnosis of migraine in the 2023 US National Health and Wellness Survey. Respondents with rimegepant use (<12 days per month to identify acute treatment) were compared to those with oral triptan use on: 1) treatment satisfaction, 2) HCRU (number of visits per care setting in past 6 months), 3) health-related quality of life (HRQoL), 4) work productivity impairment, and 5) Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS). Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to balance demographic and health-related characteristics prior to comparisons. Two-sample t-tests and chi-square tests (or Fisher’s exact test for small samples) were conducted for between-group comparisons.

A total of 1,363 participants met eligibility criteria (rimegepant: n=105, triptans: n=1,258). Post-weighting, demographics and health characteristics were well-balanced (standardized mean difference <0.1) between groups (eg, mean ± standard deviation (SD) age 43.0±13.6 for rimegepant vs 42.9±13.5 for triptan). Individuals who used rimegepant reported a higher treatment satisfaction rate (71.4%) than those who used triptans (52.0%, p<0.001). Both groups reported comparable levels of HRQoL, work productivity impairment, and MIDAS scores. Rimegepant users reported a higher rate of visits to a neurologist (55.2% vs. 28.4%), lower number of emergency room visits (1.4±0.6 vs 1.8±1.5), and lower number of hospitalizations (1.2±0.4 vs. 1.8±1.3) than those who used triptans.

The results suggest that individuals in the US who used rimegepant for acute treatment of migraine reported a higher treatment satisfaction and lower HCRU than those who used triptans.