November 1, 2023 7:54 am EDT

80% of women surveyed are unhappy with how their migraines are managed.

AUSTRALIA, 1 November 2023 – Migraine continues to impose a significant impact on women in Australia due to the time it takes to control migraine symptoms, according to new research by women’s healthcare company, Organon. A national survey of over 1,000 women aged between 21 – 50 years old, ‘Australian Women and Migraine’, found that in 2022, migraine attacks are still taking too long to be controlled, with women revealing it can take up to eight hours to manage symptoms.¹

Almost half of women diagnosed with migraine experience the worst of their symptoms within the first hour.² Migraine is a common neurological disorder impacting almost 5 million people, mainly women in Australia.² The survey revealed 80% of women living with migraine feel unsatisfied with how they manage the symptoms.¹ Three quarters (70%) of these women say they can’t stop a migraine attack from occurring and two thirds (68%) can’t reduce their symptoms fast enough.¹ Of the 62% of women that experience migraines at work, the lighting in the office (63%) and loud music and conversations (52%) were identified as common triggers.¹

“Lights are a major trigger for my migraine and playing netball professionally meant bright lights were almost impossible to avoid. Game day was the worst time for me to experience an attack, it wasn’t possible to just push through the intense pain, I needed effective solutions quickly to ensure I didn’t miss out on court time”, says Bianca Chatfield, professional Netballer winning a World Championship and two Commonwealth Games medals, Sports Commentator living with migraine.

“A migraine attack can alter my whole day, my vision is impacted and I suffer from loss of concentration. For a long time, my car became my ‘safe haven’ where I’d recoup if I experienced an attack out of the home and wait until the symptoms subside. However, this isn’t feasible with a busy work schedule and a young child – we need better treatment options!”

A shocking 61% of women surveyed living with episodic migraine blame the lack of better solutions as a barrier to managing their migraine.¹ The majority (80%) of women living with episodic migraine attacks find themselves isolated in a dark quiet room to deal with the pain.¹

“The Organon survey reveals a concerning epidemic of women living with episodic migraine in Australia who are still not getting relief fast enough,” said Carl Cincinnato, Director of Migraine and Headache Australia. “Women should not be forced to retreat into a quiet, dark room to manage their symptoms in isolation. Having timely access to adequate treatment is essential to help take control of this common and deeply debilitating condition.”

The survey showed migraine has significantly impacted Australian women in the following areas of their lives:

• Work and career progression: Of the 62% of women who experience migraine attacks at work, less than half (48%) feel comfortable speaking to their manager about their migraine and 41% believe living with migraine has negatively impacted their career prospects including promotions and bonuses.¹

• Social life: More than two thirds (69%) feel they miss out on being able to enjoy time with family and friends.¹

• Parenting: Most mothers (71%) say they feel guilty about missing time with family and friends when they have a migraine with two thirds (66%) having to make alternative arrangements for their families such as school pick-up, sports and meals.¹
  
• Productivity and concentration: Of the 62% of women that experience migraines at work, over half (60%) admit to losing concentration.¹

Carl Cincinnato said, “It’s great to have a comprehensive survey showing the impact and experiences of Australian women living with migraine. The survey findings reflect what our members tell us about the difficulty of managing migraine symptoms and the disruption it has on their day-to-day activities. Our members report that managing the symptoms in a timely way is critical.”

From November, people diagnosed with migraine will have access to MAXALT Migraine Relief, which is available from your pharmacist without the need for a prescription. Ask your pharmacist about this product, as their advice is required. The survey revealed this will remove one of the major barriers to optimal migraine management, as only 15% of women surveyed said they carried their script with them preventing quick access to treatment.¹

Nirelle Tolstoshev, Managing Director of Organon ANZ, said, “We know that women are twice as likely to be affected by migraine than men, and the painful symptoms and debilitating impact on women and their families and careers are underestimated.³ At Organon, we are committed to continuing to empower these women to actively manage their migraine and help them to get back to the things they love doing faster.”

ENDS  

Notes to Editors

About the survey

The national survey was conducted in 2022 by Organon. It evaluated the physical, social and economic challenges for women living with migraine in Australia.

Participants included 1,048 women, aged between 21-50 years old who have received their migraine diagnosis by a doctor or a healthcare professional (HCP).

The burden of migraine according to ‘Australian Women and Migraine’ survey:

• Almost half of all women with migraine (49%) still believe that migraine is just like a headache.¹ 
• 80% of women living with migraine feel unsatisfied with how they are managing their migraine.¹ 
  • 77% of these women are still looking for ways to better manage their migraine.¹ 
• 98% experience a plan-changing migraine on at least once a month.¹
• Almost a third (27%) admit it takes up to 4 hours to get symptoms under control and a further third (27%) admit it takes double that.¹
• Of the 62% of women that experience migraines at work, the lighting in the office (63%) and loud music and conversations (52%) were identified as common triggers.¹ The majority of participants (85%) believe they take longer to finish tasks and over half (62%) admit to losing concentration during a migraine attack.¹
• Among women who experience migraines at work (62%), less than half (48%) feel comfortable speaking to their manager about their migraine and 41% believe living with migraine has negatively impacted their career prospects including promotions and bonuses.¹

• More than two thirds (69%) feel they miss out on being able to enjoy time with family and friends.¹
• Most mothers say they feel guilty about missing time with family and friends when they have a migraine (71%), with two thirds (66%) having to make alternative arrangements for their families such as school pick-up, sports and meals.¹ 

About Episodic Migraine

Migraine is a complex neurological condition that affects 4.9 million Australians.[3] The condition causes recurrent attacks of moderate to severe headache that is often accompanied by other disabling symptoms such as sensitivity to light, sound or movement, nausea and vomiting.³ Episodic migraine is characterised by 0-14 headache days per month.[4] Migraine prevalence is higher among females than in males.² The highest prevalence rate of episodic migraine occurs in females aged 30 to 39.² Despite its impact, migraine is underdiagnosed, undertreated, and imposes significant economic and wellbeing costs on the Australian population.²

Sponsorship Disclaimer

Bianca Chatfield and Migraine & Headache Australia have been paid a fee to support public education on the impact migraine. The opinions expressed by Chatfield are her own and are based on her own lived experience.

About Organon

Organon (NYSE: OGN) is a global healthcare company formed through a spin-off from Merck& Co., Rahway, NJ, USA (NYSE: MRK) known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, focused on improving the health of women throughout their lives. Here for her health, the company has a portfolio of more than 60 medicines and products across a range of therapeutic areas. Led by the reproductive health portfolio coupled with an expanding biosimilars business and stable franchise of established medicines, Organon’s products produce strong cash flows that will support investments in future growth opportunities in women’s health. In addition, Organon is pursuing opportunities to collaborate with biopharmaceutical innovators looking to commercialize their products by leveraging its scale and presence in fast-growing international markets.

Organon has a global footprint with significant scale and geographic reach, world-class commercial capabilities, and approximately 9,000 employees with headquarters located in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA.

For more information, visit http://www.organon.com/australia and connect with us on LinkedIn. 

References

---

[1] Organon and Fiftyfive5. Women & Migraines. 2022. Data on File.

[2] Kelman L. Pain characteristics of the acute migraine attack. Headache. 2006 Jun;46(6):942-53. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2006.00443.x. PMID: 16732840.

[3] Deloitte Access Economics. Migraine in Australia Whitepaper. 2018. Available at: https://www.painaustralia.org.au/static/uploads/files/deloitte-au-economics-migraine-australia-whitepaper-101018-wfsydysdysky.pdf.

[4] Migraine and Headache Australia. Migraine. 2021. Available at: https://headacheaustralia.org.au/migraine/.