June 17, 2021: Based on results from a large population-based survey, it is estimated that approximately half of people with migraine hesitate to seek care for a variety of reasons, and even fewer receive a diagnosis and take the treatment they need.
To help address these important unmet needs in migraine care, Eli Lilly and Company launched Think Talk Treat Migraine™, a new initiative to empower people living with migraine and their primary care providers to recognize key symptoms of migraine and have better conversations about the disease that can lead to proper diagnosis and treatment.
The initiative is currently in pilot stage – available in four metropolitan areas – Hartford/New Haven (Connecticut), Raleigh/Durham (North Carolina), Indianapolis (Indiana) and Denver (Colorado) – and provides people living with migraine and their healthcare providers with simple resources to think about, talk about and treat migraine.
“People with significant disabling headache often do not recognize it as migraine and as a result, understandably do not seek care.
Further, among those who do seek care, there is often a gap in communication between them and their primary care provider, particularly about the impact migraine has on their life.
This can not only lead to fewer appropriate diagnoses, but also treatment recommendations that may not deliver the freedom from migraine pain they seek,” said Michael Cobas Meyer, MD, MBA, vice president of global medical affairs, Lilly Bio-Medicines.
“The goal of Think Talk Treat Migraine is to simplify the recognition and discussion of the disease from both the patient and the primary care provider perspectives, potentially leading to meaningful improvements in health outcomes through accurate diagnosis and appropriate, timely care.”
More people impacted by migraine seek care from a primary care provider than any other care setting, yet research shows that only a small proportion receive a migraine diagnosis and treatment recommendation during those initial discussions.
There can be many reasons for this including the short length of an office visit or the ability to effectively convey or recognize symptoms.
While 40% of people with migraine are eligible for preventive treatment, less than 20% receive it.
Further, only 28% of people impacted by migraine and eligible for acute treatment are seeking care, diagnosed with migraine and prescribed recommended acute medication.
“I’ve been living with migraine for most of my adult life and like many others who may be misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, I didn’t realize there was a name for what I was experiencing or that it was a neurological disease,” said Kelsey V., 27 years old from Colorado.
“It’s important that initial discussions about migraine with one’s health care provider are easier because having the right diagnosis and the right treatment can make all the difference.”
Think Talk Treat Migraine provides information, tools and resources specifically developed for people who may be living with migraine and primary care providers, including a Talk To Your Healthcare Provider Checklist, a new digital migraine management platform called VEGA™ and education about the ID Migraine® tool, which helps identify people living with migraine by asking three simple questions:
- Has a headache limited your activities any day in the last month?
- Are you nauseated or sick to your stomach when you have a headache?
- Does light bother you when you have a headache?
Research has shown that if a person experiencing headaches answers yes to two of these questions, there is a greater than 90% chance they are living with migraine and should speak with their healthcare provider.
VEGA is a digital platform that offers a smartphone app to enable users to track important information about their migraine such as their ability to function, pain severity, symptoms, triggers and the medications they take to manage it.
With this information, a person can more effectively talk to their provider about the impact migraine has on their life, which may help inform an appropriate treatment plan.
Think Talk Treat Migraine will also host webinars for primary care providers to help elevate awareness of migraine within the primary care setting.
Information provided during the webinars will focus on a streamlined approach to help identify migraine, information about how to assess the impact of migraine and insights about how the extent of impact a migraine has can inform an appropriate treatment plan.
“Despite its prevalence and the human and societal impact of migraine, this disease is often underestimated and misunderstood.
A variety of reasons, including stigma and lack of awareness, drive some people living with migraine to hide their pain and the effects of the disease.
This can lead to underdiagnoses and unnecessary pain and disability,” said Kevin Lenaburg, executive director, Coalition for Headache and Migraine Patients (CHAMP).
“Lilly understands the impact that not getting an accurate diagnosis can have on people living with migraine and recognizes that it doesn’t have to be that way.
Think Talk Treat Migraine is fostering important conversations while providing the tools and resources to help make a meaningful difference for people with migraine and primary care providers alike.”
