On Jan. 30, 2025, the FDA approved Axsome Therapeutic’s Symbravo® for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults. The expected launch of the drug is May 2025.
What is Symbravo?
Symbravo is a combination of meloxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and rizatriptan, a selective serotonin receptor agonist. The acute migraine medication is designed to deliver rapid absorption of meloxicam (5 times faster) while maintaining a long half-life in the blood.
Is meloxicam effective for treating migraines?
As an anti-inflammatory, meloxicam is most commonly prescribed to relieve symptoms of arthritis, such as joint pain and swelling. But inflammation plays a role in the development of migraines, too, and studies have shown that the combination of meloxicam and rizatriptan in Symbravo may offer acute migraine relief by reducing inflammation in the brain.
Studies of Symbravo showed:
- A greater percentage of patients were pain free two hours after dosing, and for many, this sustained up to 48 hours.
- When compared to rizatriptan alone, Symbravo was superior for sustained pain freedom from two to 24 hours and 77% of participants did not need rescue medication.
- The medication was well tolerated with excessive drowsiness and dizziness being the most common adverse effects in less than 5% of participants.
Recommended dosing of Symbravo is one tablet by mouth as needed containing meloxicam 20 mg and rizatriptan 10 mg.
MyMatrixx Response to FDA Approval of Symbravo
MyMatrixx is dedicated to helping our clients monitor and manage the cost and utilization of injury-related medications and the medications that may aid in an injured worker’s overall recovery. MyMatrixx is currently investigating data around Symbravo to determine if it is an appropriate addition to our formularies. If you have any questions, please reach out to your MyMatrixx account team.