Commercial Launches of Erenumab and Galcanezumab Significantly Boosted Online Search Interest for CGRP Migraine Therapies

Despite the transformative impact of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) therapies on migraine treatment, the precise influence of key product lifecycle milestones on public awareness has remained largely unquantified. As patients increasingly rely on online platforms for health information, understanding how events such as clinical trial publications, regulatory approvals, commercial launches, and advertising campaigns drive digital engagement is crucial. This study addresses the gap in understanding how these specific milestones translate into measurable changes in public search activity, providing insights into broader awareness trends for this critical class of migraine medications.

Researchers conducted a retrospective ecological infodemiology study utilizing a quasi-experimental interrupted time-series design. They analyzed monthly Google Trends data from January 2017 to July 2025 for seven CGRP-therapies in the United States, with secondary analyses for erenumab across five European countries. The primary endpoint was the search volume index (on a 0-100 scale), assessing immediate and sustained changes in search interest following predefined milestone events, including trial publications, regulatory approvals, commercial launches, and media exposure. The analysis aimed to identify which specific events served as significant drivers of public digital impact.

In the United States, commercial launch events were strongly associated with immediate and significant increases in online search interest for specific CGRP therapies. For erenumab, the commercial launch resulted in an immediate increase of β = 102.54 (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.05-188.02, p = 0.021). Similarly, galcanezumab (brand search term) saw an immediate increase of β = 42.36 (95% CI, 15.80-68.91, p = 0.002) following its commercial launch. Beyond immediate spikes, several CGRP therapies demonstrated sustained post-launch growth in search interest.

Fremanezumab (brand search term) exhibited a sustained monthly growth of +0.50/month (95% CI, 0.27-0.73, p < 0.001), while eptinezumab grew by +0.45/month (95% CI, 0.26-0.64, p < 0.001). Oral CGRP antagonists also showed robust sustained growth: rimegepant (brand search term) increased by +0.97/month (95% CI, 0.47-1.47, p < 0.001), atogepant (brand search term) by +1.28/month (95% CI, 0.70-1.85, p < 0.001), and ubrogepant (brand search term) also showed significant sustained growth.