US pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) said its migraine drug lasmiditan showed a significant improvement in pain relief in a late-study clinical trial.
The group said the trial, which tested three doses of the oral drug against a placebo in patients who had an average of more than five migraines per month, met its primary end point.
A greater percentage of patients treated with lasmiditan were migraine pain-free compared to placebo, the second phase three study found.
The company plans to file a marketing application to the US Food and Drug Administration for approval in the second half of 2018.
"Lasmiditan represents the first significant innovation in the acute treatment of migraine in more than 20 years, and could provide a much-needed new treatment option for the 36 million Americans living with migraine," said Christi Shaw, president of Lilly Bio-Medicines.
"We are thrilled with these topline lasmiditan results, which add to more than 25 years of Lilly's research and development of migraine therapies."
Eli Lilly bought lasmiditan through its acquisition of CoLucid Pharmaceuticals in January.
Shares in the company rose 1.31% to US$81.93 in US pre-market trading.