In Brief: Excedrin Migraine studies

Excedrin Migraine studies: Patients taking the acetaminophen (250 mg), aspirin (250 mg) and caffeine (65 mg) combination OTC analgesic experienced "significant" relief of migraine-associated pain within 30 minutes of dosing in a pooled analysis of three double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials, Richard Lipton, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, et al., report in the February issue of the Archives of Neurology. Patients also noticed "significant improvements in ability to perform usual activities at one hour after dose and at all time points thereafter," the researchers note. Data from the trials were used by Bristol-Myers Squibb to gain FDA approval of the first OTC migraine indication ("The Tan Sheet" Jan. 19, p. 1). BMS presented the data at a meeting of FDA's Nonprescription Drugs and Arthritis Advisory Committees July 15 ("The Tan Sheet" July 21, 1997, pp. 8-12)...