Sumatriptan iontophoretic transdermal system: A novel approach to migraine-specific therapy.

The sumatriptan iontophoretic transdermal system (TDS) (Zecuity, NuPathe, Malvern, PA), a novel approach to the acute treatment of migraine, circumvents the gastrointestinal tract by using low-level electrical energy to transport sumatriptan across the skin. In clinical trials, sumatriptan TDS has provided consistent drug delivery; rapid relief of migraine headache pain and migraine-related nausea; and an excellent safety profile, with a low incidence of triptan-sensation adverse events. Ease of use/application of sumatriptan TDS by migraineurs during an attack is rated highly. Sumatriptan TDS will provide a convenient, acute migraine-specific therapeutic option to the significant subset of patients for whom oral formulations are suboptimal, particularly those with migraine-related nausea (MRN).