Frovatriptan, sold under the brand name Frova, is a triptan

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhala ...

developed by Vernalis for the treatment of

migraine Migraine (, ) is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent headaches. Typically, the associated headache affects one side of the head, is pulsating in nature, may be moderate to severe in intensity, and could last from a few hou ...

headache Headache is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches. Headaches can occur as a result ...

s and for short term prevention of

menstrual migraine Menstrual migraine (also called catamenial migraine) is term used to describe both ''true menstrual migraines'' and ''menstrually related migraines''. About 7%–14% of women have migraines only at the time of menstruation, these are called ''tr ...

. The product is licensed to

Endo Pharmaceuticals Endo International plc is an American Irish-domiciled generics and specialty branded pharmaceutical company that generated over 93% of its 2017 sales from the U.S. healthcare system. While Endo's management, operations, and customers are almost ...

in North America and

Menarini The Menarini Group is an Italian pharmaceutical company. Its headquarters is in Florence, Tuscany, and it has three divisions: Menarini Ricerche, Menarini Biotech, and Menarini Diagnostics. It develops pharmacological solutions for cardiovascular ...

in Europe.

Medical uses

Frovatriptan is used in the treatment of

Available forms

It is available as 2.5 mg tablets.

Contraindications

Frovatriptan should not be given to patients with: * Ischemic heart disease * Cerebrovascular syndrome * Peripheral vascular disease * Uncontrolled hypertension * Hemiplegic or basilar migraine

Side effects

Rare, but serious cardiac events have been reported in patients with risk factors predictive of CAD. These include: coronary artery vasospasm, transient myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction,

ventricular tachycardia Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach or VT) is a fast heart rate arising from the lower chambers of the heart. Although a few seconds of VT may not result in permanent problems, longer periods are dangerous; and multiple episodes over a short period ...

and ventricular fibrillation.

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

Frovatriptan is a

serotonin receptor 5-HT receptors, 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors, or serotonin receptors, are a group of G protein-coupled receptor and ligand-gated ion channels found in the central and peripheral nervous systems. They mediate both excitatory and inhibitory ne ...

agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ag ...

, with high affinity for the 5-HT_1B/1D receptors. It has no significant effects on the GABA_A mediated channel activity and benzodiazepine binding sites. Frovatriptan inhibits excessive dilation of arteries that supply blood to the head.

Pharmacokinetics

Frovatriptan has a terminal

elimination half-life Biological half-life (also known as elimination half-life, pharmacologic half-life) is the time taken for concentration of a biological substance (such as a medication) to decrease from its maximum concentration ( Cmax) to half of Cmax in the b ...

of approximately 26 hours, making it the longest within its class.

Society and culture

US licensing

Frovatriptan is available only by prescription in the United States and Canada, where a secondary New Drug Approval (sNDA) was filed in July 2006.

References

External links

Frova
(manufacturer's website)
Frovatriptan Succinate
(patient information)
FDA labeling
{{Serotonin receptor modulators 5-HT1B agonists 5-HT1D agonists 5-HT7 agonists Amines Carbazoles Carboxamides Triptans