Class of Migraine Drug, CGRP Inhibitors, Has Added Benefit: Reduced Glaucoma Risk

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By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, Senior Medical Editor, B. Pharm. Last updated on May 7, 2026.

via HealthDay

THURSDAY, May 7, 2026 — A class of drugs taken to prevent migraines might help people avoid glaucoma as well, a new study says.

People taking CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) inhibitors had a 25% lower risk of developing glaucoma, compared to those taking other migraine meds, researchers report in the journal Neurology in a study published recently.

“Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, and evidence has linked migraine with an increased risk of glaucoma, with both conditions affecting the capacity of the blood vessels in the brain to alter blood flow in response to stimuli,” lead researcher Dr. Chien-Hsiang Weng, a clinical associate professor at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, said in a news release.

“Since CGRP inhibitors help regulate blood vessel contraction and inflammation in the nervous system, there has been hope that these drugs could benefit eye health in people at risk of glaucoma,” Weng said.

These drugs help prevent migraines by lowering the body’s levels of CGRP, a protein that normally helps control blood pressure by expanding blood vessels, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

People with migraines tend to have excess levels of CGRP, which are thought to activate nerves in the brain in a way that make pain signals worse and longer lasting.

However, CGRP also is implicated in glaucoma, a condition where fluid pressure builds up inside a person’s eye, eventually damaging the optic nerve and resulting in vision loss and blindness, researchers said in background notes.

The CGRP protein is widely found in the nerves and blood vessels of the eye, and animal studies have shown that increased CGRP can increase fluid pressure inside the eye, researchers said.

For the new study, researchers compared more than 36,800 people who took CGRP inhibitors to prevent migraine between 2018 to 2024 with the same number taking other migraine prevention drugs.

The drugs in the CGRP inhibitor group were erenumab, fremanezumab, galcanezumab, eptinezumab, atogepant and rimegepant.

The drugs in the non-CGRP inhibitor group were valproate, topiramate, flunarizine, candesartan, lisinopril, metoprolol, propranolol, nadolol, amitriptyline and venlafaxine.

About 0.4% of people in the CGRP group developed glaucoma, compared to 0.6% of those taking other migraine meds, results show.

Researchers found that the reduced risk of glaucoma was only found in CGRP inhibitors that use monoclonal antibodies: erenumab, fremanezumab, galcanezumab and eptinezumab.

Migraine patients taking monoclonal antibody CGRP inhibitors were 23% less likely to develop glaucoma, compared to those taking other types of CGRP inhibitors, results show.

“Further studies are needed to confirm these results, but the findings may help us better understand both migraine and glaucoma,” Weng said.

Sources

  • American Academy of Neurology, news release, May 6, 2026
  • Neurology, May 6, 2026

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2026-05-08 02:39

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