Researchers are working on the development of a nasal spray that could help ease the pain of migraines.
The novel prochlorperazine nasal spray could be an effective solution for the 37 million migraine sufferers that exist in the U.S. alone, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists reported.
"Prochloperazine is a dopamine receptor antagonist that is widely used as an anti-nausea medication. Comparative clinical studies have shown that prochloperazine provides better pain relief than other anti-migraine drugs such as sumatriptan, metoclopramide, and ketorolac," said Venkata Yellepeddi of the Roseman University of Health Sciences.
There is currently no nasal spray formulation of prochlorperazine available to treat migraines. It is only available in pill form, which comes with a delayed response to the treatment.
Researchers believe a nasal spray will not only be more effective, but will also have better patient compliance because of its easy application. The treatment would not have any preservative-related adverse side effects, such as mucosal irritation.
Researchers used high performance liquid chromatography and microbiological assays to assess the stability of prochloperazine nasal spray. They found the spray could remain stable for 120 days with minimal degradation, making it a potential treatment for migraine patients. In the future, researchers plan to test the safety of the treatment in rat models.
Migraines are characterized by severe pain that can last for between four and seventy-two hours, and is often accompanied by symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. According to the Migraine Research Foundation, the condition ranks in the top 20 of the world's most debilitating conditions, and someone goes to the emergency room for one once every 10 seconds in the U.S., the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists reported.
The development was presented at the 2014 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego.
