Merck Sharpe and Dohme drug shown to prevent headaches during Ramadan

Merck Sharpe and Dohme's drug etoricoxib has been shown to help Muslims to avoid headaches during their ritual fasting in the month of Ramadan.

The pharmaceutical company has sponsored a study, published in the medical journal Headache, which shows the treatment's efficacy in attenuating and decreasing the incidence of headache symptoms during the first five days of the religious festival.

A total of 222 patients were enrolled for the study, which took place during Ramadan last year, with those in the etoricoxib group showing significantly lower headache severity after their 15-hour ritual fasts than patients using placebo.

Etoricoxib is marketed under the brand name Arcoxia and has also been shown to prevent headaches among those undergoing a 25-hour fast for the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur.

This comes after Merck Sharpe and Dohme last month announced the launch of a new support kit for Muslim diabetes patients to help them manage their condition during the month-long religious event.