Frovatriptan, sold under the brand name Frova, is a

triptan Triptans are a family of tryptamine-based medication, drugs used as abortive medication in the treatment of migraines and cluster headaches. This drug class was first commercially introduced in the 1990s. While effective at treating individual h ...

medication Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to medical diagnosis, diagnose, cure, treat, or preventive medicine, prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmaco ...

developed by Vernalis for the treatment of

migraine Migraine (, ) is a complex neurological disorder characterized by episodes of moderate-to-severe headache, most often unilateral and generally associated with nausea, and light and sound sensitivity. Other characterizing symptoms may includ ...

headache A headache, also known as cephalalgia, 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 (mood), depression in those with severe ...

s and for short term prevention of menstrual migraine. 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 e ...

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 cardiovascular disorder in which fast heart rate occurs in the ventricles of the heart. Although a few seconds of VT may not result in permanent problems, longer periods are dangerous; and multiple ...

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 multiple tissues including the central and peripheral nervous systems. They mediate both ex ...

agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a Receptor (biochemistry), receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are Cell (biology), cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an R ...

, with high

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for the 5-HT_1B/1D receptors. It has no significant effects on the GABA_A mediated channel activity and

benzodiazepine Benzodiazepines (BZD, BDZ, BZs), colloquially known as "benzos", are a class of central nervous system (CNS) depressant, depressant drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. They are prescribed t ...

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 (elimination half-life, pharmacological 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 blood plasma. ...

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

Society and culture

Legal status

Frovatriptan is available only by prescription in the United States and Canada.

References

{{Authority control 5-HT1B agonists 5-HT1D agonists 5-HT7 agonists Secondary amines Carbazoles Carboxamides N-Monoalkyltryptamines Triptans