Current Evidence on the Use of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide-Targeting Therapies in Children and Adolescents

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This is a narrative review to summarize current evidence on use of therapies targeting calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) for children and adolescents with headache disorders. RECENT FINDINGS: The CGRP-targeting therapies have been used in adults for prevention of migraine since 2018. There is one randomized controlled trial (RCT) published on fremanezumab in children age 6-17 years old which showed favorable outcome as a preventive treatment for episodic migraine. Several real-world evidence (RWE) studies report on use of CGRP-targeting therapies in patients younger than 18 years old. Several clinical trials are pending for other CGRP-targeting therapies. CONCLUSION: There is a small number of RWE studies and one RCT study that shows that CGRP-targeting therapies have potential to be beneficial and safe to use in children and adolescents with headache disorders. Future clinical trials, once completed, will further shed light on efficacy and safety of CGRP-targeting therapies.