Valeant to partner with Ascend for Migranal promotion

Valeant Pharmaceuticals has announced that it is to collaborate with Ascend Therapeutics to aid in the promotion of its Migranal (dihydroergotamine mesylate, USP) Nasal Spray.

Under the terms of the agreement, Valeant will deploy the 50-person speciality sales force of Ascend in the US to promote Migranal to over 5,500 obstetricians and gynaecologists (OB/GYNs) nationwide.

Valeant will retain marketing and other responsibilities for the medication outside of this speciality area.

Migranal Nasal Spray is indicated as an acute treatment for patients with migraine headaches with or without aura, though not as a preventative treatment for the condition.

Wesley P Wheeler, president of North American operations and research and development at Valeant, said: “We are pleased to announce the promotion of Migranal to OB/GYNs with our partner Ascend Therapeutics.

“Migranal provides physicians with a valuable treatment option for patients with migraine headaches.”

He added that of the 65 million individuals who have experienced a migraine worldwide in the past year, three-quarters are female.

In February 2006, a study from King’s College London found that middle-aged women are more likely to be prescribed headache medication than men, with one in three women given migraine drugs compared to one in four men.