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The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended atogepant (AQUIPTA; AbbVie) to treat, as well as prevent, migraine attacks in adults for use on the NHS in England.
In final draft guidance, published on 10 June 2026, NICE approved atogepant as a treatment option for adults who, for previous migraines, have tried at least two triptans but they did not work well enough, or if triptans were contraindicated or not tolerated, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and paracetamol were tried but did not work well enough.
Clinicians should use the least expensive option of the suitable treatments — including atogepant and rimegepant — having discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the available treatments with the person with the condition, the draft guidance added.
Commenting on the guidance, Katy Munroe, senior GP headache specialist at the National Migraine Centre, said: “Migraine is a highly debilitating, genetic, neurological condition, which impacts on the lives of people who suffer these disabling attacks and also affects their family, friends and colleagues when attacks are frequent, severe or prolonged.
“Individuals vary greatly in their response to medications to treat migraine attacks, and it is so helpful to have a wider range of options to explore with them now.”
Rob Music, chief executive at charity The Migraine Trust, commented: “Those living with migraine typically try a number of medicines before finding what works best for them. That is why it is so important that there are a variety of treatments available and clinicians have clear guidance on how they should be prescribed.”
The approval follows the results of a phase III study, ECLIPSE (NCT06241313), which revealed that nearly one-quarter (24.3%) of patients were pain free within two hours after taking atogepant, compared with more than one in ten patients (13.1%) who took placebo.
Atogepant was previously recommended by NICE in 2024 for preventing migraine in adults.
