Satisfaction With and Confidence in Needle-Free Subcutaneous Sumatriptan in Patients Currently Treated with Triptans

Objective.-To evaluate patient satisfaction with and confidence in Sumavel (R) DosePro (R) (needle-free subcutaneous sumatriptan) among current triptan users administering Sumavel DosePro for up to 4 migraine attacks. Background.-Sumavel DosePro is a needle-free, single-use device that facilitates subcutaneous injection of sumatriptan 6 mg and confers relief as early as 10 minutes after dosing. Design/Methods.-In this open-label, multicenter study, Sumavel DosePro was self-administered for <= 4 migraine attacks (over a <= 60-day period) involving moderate or severe baseline pain by adult migraineurs who currently were using triptans (any form, any dosage) and reported being less than very satisfied with their current therapy (ie, baseline satisfaction ranging from satisfied to very dissatisfied). Treatment satisfaction was measured via the Patient Perception of Migraine Questionnaire, revised (PPMQ-R). Results.-Among the 212 patients using Sumavel DosePro to treat >= 1 migraine attack, PPMQ-R Overall Satisfaction (primary endpoint) increased significantly from baseline to the end of treatment (mean +/- SD 65.7 +/- 19.8 vs 73.7 +/- 29.1, P = .0007), an improvement that met the criterion for clinical significance. From baseline to the end of treatment, PPMQ-R scores also improved significantly for Efficacy (62.2 +/- 17.6 vs 76.2 +/- 23.7, P < .0001), Functionality (59.0 +/- 22.3 vs 73.8 +/- 25.3, P < .0001), and Tolerability (83.9 +/- 13.1 vs 86.4 +/- 15.0, P = .02), but declined for Ease of Use (82.6 +/- 15.3 vs 67.8 +/- 27.6, P < .0001). For all global satisfaction domains, the percentage of patients satisfied or very satisfied increased from baseline to the end of treatment (Overall Satisfaction 36.3% vs 64.0%, Satisfaction with Medication Effectiveness 40.1% vs 68.2%, Satisfaction with Side Effects 48.6% vs 67.3%). The percentage of patients who were confident or very confident in treating repeated migraine attacks also increased (baseline: 41.0%, 90% confidence interval [CI] 35.4, 46.9 vs end of treatment: 66.5%, 90% CI 58.9, 70.1). The efficacy results (pain relief, pain-free response, sustained 24-hour pain relief and pain-free response) were consistent with those previously observed with needle-based sumatriptan. Conclusion.-Patients currently treated with triptans and less than very satisfied with their acute migraine therapy experienced a statistically significant and clinically relevant increase in satisfaction with therapy and enhanced confidence in treatment after use of Sumavel DosePro for up to 4 migraine attacks.