Intranasal sumatriptan study with high placebo response in Taiwanese patients with migraine.
BACKGROUND
Triptan's efficacy in the treatment of migraine has never been reported in Taiwanese. A high placebo effect was reported in Japanese. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of intranasal sumatriptan in the acute treatment of migraine in Taiwanese patients.


METHODS
Fifty-eight patients who had experienced migraine for at least 1 year were randomly assigned to 2 groups, self-administered intranasal sumatriptan 20 mg or placebo to treat a single migraine attack of moderate or severe intensity.


RESULTS
A significant difference in headache relief rates between the 2 groups was observed at 30 minutes postdose (46% vs. 21%, p < 0.05). One hour postdose, 61% of sumatriptan recipients experienced headache relief compared with 43% of placebo recipients (p = 0.181). The difference in relief rates between groups diminished over time, mainly due to a high placebo response (54% at 2 hours postdose).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that ethnicity might have a role in placebo response, and highlights the importance of a placebo group in acute migraine trials. However, the small sample size in this study should also be taken into consideration.
Wang
Shuu-Jiun
SJ
Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. sjwang@vghtpe.gov.tw
Fuh
Jong-Ling
JL
Wu
Zin-An
ZA
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015990:Placebo Effect; D012008:Recurrence; D018170:Sumatriptan / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects
D018170:Sumatriptan