Migraine Research

Why is Migraine Research Important?

• Migraine is an exceedingly common disorder which causes substantial pain, disability and societal burden.
   
• Unfortunately, migraine is poorly understood, under diagnosed and current treatments are often inadequate.
   
• Although scientists have made important breakthroughs that have improved our understanding and treatment of migraine, progress has been slow.
   
• A lack of funding for migraine research is one of the major factors that have slowed the speed of new developments in the field.
   

Migraine Research Does Not Currently Receive Adequate Funding

• Migraine research receives very little funding. This is true when considering the total amount of funding and funding adjusted for migraine prevalence, disability caused by migraine and the societal costs from migraine. 
   
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the major source of governmental research funding in the United States. The NIH allocates only 0.05% of its research budget to headache research. 
   
• It is estimated that in 2007 the NIH granted only $13 million for migraine research.
  • Diabetes received $1,037 million in 2007
  • Asthma received $294 million in 2007
     
• The amount of funding that the NIH spent on migraine research in 2007 is equal to only $0.36 per person with migraine.
  • Diabetes received $49.38 per person with diabetes
  • Asthma received $12.25 per person with asthma
     
• Top researchers are not able to focus their efforts on studying migraine if there are not adequate funds to support their work. 
   

What is the Future for Migraine?

• We are on the brink of making substantial breakthroughs that will improve our understanding of migraine and lead to the development of better treatments. 
   
• World-class researchers are focusing their efforts on migraine. However, a lack of adequate research funding for the study of migraine has slowed the rate of progress. 
   
• With appropriate research funding, top researchers will continue to make breakthroughs that improve our understanding of what causes migraine and lead to development of new and more effective migraine treatments.