THE approval this week of the first ever drug specifically designed to prevent migraines was a 'great day' for those who suffer the condition, according to the head of the Oxford Headache Centre.

Consultant Neurologist at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, professor Zameel Cader, who is also director of the Oxford Headache Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital said the decision by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to grant a licence for the use of the drug, erenumab, represented a new approach for clincians to be able to treat migraines.

He said: "Most of the drugs we use currently have been developed for other purposes, such as depression or epilepsy, and have been found coincidentally to be able to treat migraine. This one’s been specifically designed to prevent migraine, and that’s really quite special."

It is expected doctors could start prescribing erenumab early next year.