BASKING RIDGE, N.J. and NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- electroCore, Inc. (Nasdaq: ECOR), a commercial-stage bioelectronic medicine company, today announced a patient education initiative in partnership with HealthyWomen, the nation’s leading independent, nonprofit health information source for women, to increase awareness around non-drug treatment options for migraine pain in female patients.
The initiative is driven by results from an electroCore-HealthyWomen partnered survey, which showed there is a significant lack of awareness of non-drug treatment options for migraine among female patients. According to the survey of over 1,000 female migraine patients between the ages of 18 and 60 years old, 86 percent of patients are completely or somewhat willing to try non-drug treatments, however, only 36 percent expressed awareness of non-drug treatment options.
To bridge this knowledge gap surrounding the availability and utility of non-drug treatment options, HealthyWomen and electroCore have developed a suite of content which can be found at HealthyWomen.org/migraine designed to educate women who suffer from migraine and to empower them to initiate a conversation with their HCP about the use of non-drug therapies in their own treatment plan.
“This important survey clearly demonstrates that there is a strong demand among women for non-drug treatment options,” said Frank Amato, chief executive officer of electroCore. “With 70 percent of all migraine sufferers4 and 85 percent of chronic migraine sufferers being women1, it is essential that we educate both providers and patients in the migraine community about safer alternative options like non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS). The collaboration with HealthyWomen is an important step in educating women about their health and bringing non-drug treatment options into the forefront.”
Additional findings from the electroCore-HealthyWomen partnered survey support the importance of patient education regarding non-drug treatments in migraine since fewer than 18 percent of patients said they are completely satisfied with their migraine treatment:
- 76 percent of patients noted migraines interfere with their daily activities
- Over 90 percent of sufferers typically try multiple treatments for their migraines, and nearly half (48 percent) have tried 4 or more
- 86 percent of patients initiated the conversation regarding migraine treatment with their HCP
As an organization committed to helping educate and empower women to act upon information related to their health, HealthyWomen has partnered on the survey and the suite of resulting content to further inform women about non-drug migraine treatment options. When armed with information, women who suffer from migraine may feel more confident to have the conversation with their HCP about all available treatment options when it comes to managing their pain.
“As women, we are often the driving forces behind making critical decisions about our own medical care and the corresponding questions and concerns that may arise, which can be intimidating.” said Beth Battaglino, RN-C, chief executive officer of HealthyWomen. “However, the vast majority of female migraine sufferers initiate the conversation regarding migraine treatment options with their HCPs. Increasing access to up-to-date information about migraine treatment options will allow women to gain more control over the treatment decision making process and work with their HCP to ultimately find the best treatment option.”
Deborah I. Friedman, MD, MPH, FAAN, Professor of Neurology & Neurotherapeutics and Ophthalmology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center agrees on the importance, “Migraine is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide, especially among women1. It is essential that patients are equipped with the necessary knowledge to address the potential efficacy of treatments with their health care provider, whether it is a non-drug or pharmaceutical option, especially if it can mean relief from debilitating symptoms. This survey shows a need for increased communication between HCPs and their patients, and I am pleased that there are new educational resources available in order to make these discussions more productive.”
To explore the patient resources, learn more about the survey findings and learn about one patient’s journey with nVNS to treat migraine, visit https://www.healthywomen.org/migraine.
Survey Methodology
Surveys were conducted by HealthyWomen, sponsored by electroCore, of women who have been diagnosed as having migraines and of nurse practitioners, neurologists and headache specialists.
Patient Survey - A total of 1,005 female respondents between the ages of 18 to 60 years old who have been diagnosed with migraines by a health care professional were surveyed on:
- Experiences with migraine treatments
- Management of migraine symptoms
- Knowledge of non-drug migraine treatment options
- Impact of migraines on quality of life
HCP Survey - A total of 402 health care professionals were surveyed on:
- Migraine treatments used
- Perceptions of patients
- Familiarity with the role of the vagus nerve in treating migraines
About Migraine
Migraine is a term used to describe a class of recurrent, pulsing headaches that are typically unilateral (on one side of the head) but may occur bilaterally (on both sides of the head) and may cause visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting.2 They may occur with or without recognized warning signs, including either prodromal symptoms or an aura phase.2 Prodromal symptoms consist of altered mood, irritability, depression or euphoria, fatigue, dizziness and other visceral symptoms preceding the headache by several hours or days.3 Auras can include visual disturbances such as photopsia or scotomas or, in less frequent cases, somatosensory, auditory or gustatory hallucinations.3
There are approximately 39 million Americans living with migraine, and more than 100,000 migraines occur every day in the U.S.2,3 Migraine prevalence is significantly higher in females than in males, at a ratio of 3-to-1.2
About electroCore, Inc.
electroCore, Inc. is a commercial-stage bioelectronic medicine company dedicated to improving patient outcomes through its platform non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation therapy initially focused on the treatment of multiple conditions in neurology and rheumatology. The company’s initial targets are the preventative treatment of cluster headache and acute treatment of migraine and episodic cluster headache.
For more information, visit www.electrocore.com.
About HealthyWomen
HealthyWomen is the nation's leading independent, nonprofit health information source for women. Our mission is to educate women to make informed health choices for themselves and for their families. For 30 years, millions of women have turned to HealthyWomen for answers to their most personal health care questions. HealthyWomen provides objective, research-based health information reviewed by medical experts to ensure its accuracy.
Nothing is more important to our health than access to competent and affordable care and the safety of our medications and health care delivery practices. HealthyWomen works to educate women about health policy issues in these and other areas. We recognize the importance of clinical trials to improving women's health and support women's health research, particularly where sex may make a difference in research results. HealthyWomen advocates on behalf of women to ensure that women's health is a primary focus of policy makers and advocacy groups. Our investment in developing science-based information and our effort to incorporate perspectives reflected by advances in research and technology will further our mission to provide women with relevant and accurate health resources. For more information, please visit www.HealthyWomen.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Sara Zelkovic
LifeSci Public Relations
(646) 876-4933
Sara@lifescipublicrelations.com
1 Migraine in Women. Migraine Research Foundation. https://migraineresearchfoundation.org/about-migraine/migraine-in-women/. Accessed February 2019.
2 Migraine and Aura. American Migraine Foundation. https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/understanding-migraine/migraine-and-aura/. Accessed February 2019.
3 Global burden of migraine in the Year 2000: summary of methods and data sources. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/healthinfo/statistics/bod_migraine.pdf. Accessed February 2019.
4 Facts About Migraine. National Headache Foundation. https://headaches.org/2005/08/12/facts-about-migraine/. Access February 2019.