FDA Approves New Treatment To Help People Suffering From Migraines

BOSTON (CBS) - It's estimated that nearly 40-million Americans suffer from migraines and many have frequent, sometimes daily symptoms. Now the FDA has approved a new medication given only once a month to help prevent them, the third medication of its kind to gain recent approval.

The drug developed by Eli Lilly and Company will be marketed as "Emgality" and can be administered as an injection once a month by a patient in his or her own home. It is an antibody that targets a molecule produced by nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

In clinical trials patients on the drug reported significantly fewer migraine days a month than those on placebo.

The drug is expensive, costing almost $600 a month, but the manufacturer says patients with "commercial insurance" may be able to get the medication for free for up to 12 months.