A Closer Look at Cost Savings and Healthcare Economics
Migraine isn’t just a headache—it’s a multi-billion dollar drain on healthcare systems and economies worldwide. In the U.S. alone, migraine costs are estimated at over $36 billion annually (1), driven by direct medical expenses, lost productivity, and frequent ER visits. Despite an explosion of new treatments in recent years, the economic burden remains stubbornly high.
This is where Relivion® MG stands apart.
The Cost Problem No One Talks About
Let’s be blunt: the newest migraine drugs are effective for some, but they’re expensive. Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) monoclonal antibodies—like Aimovig®, Emgality®, and Ajovy®—run about $6,000-$8,000 per patient annually (2,3). Yet, real-world responder rates hover around 27% to 41% for at least a 50% reduction in migraine days (4,5,6).
Meanwhile, many patients continue to rely on frequent triptans or opioids, raising the risk of medication overuse headache, additional doctor visits, and ER admissions (7).
This cycle is costly—not only in dollars, but in patient quality of life and productivity losses for employers.
Relivion: A Different Economic Equation
Relivion isn’t another drug. It’s an external neuromodulation device delivering simultaneous stimulation to both the occipital and trigeminal nerves: key pain pathways in migraine. And it’s producing numbers that matter economically (8):
85% responder rate (≥50% reduction in monthly migraine days) in real-world prevention data.
67% average reduction in migraine days (from ~16 to ~5 per month).
76.8% reduction in migraine medication use.
That last figure is critical. Fewer pills mean lower drug costs, reduced medication overuse headaches, and fewer physician or ER visits tied to uncontrolled attacks.
Putting Dollars to Outcomes
Consider the math:
Each ER visit for migraine can cost $1,000-$3,000 or more, depending on imaging and intervention.
Chronic migraine sufferers often have multiple visits per year (9, 10).
Reducing migraine days by two-thirds has a direct impact on:
ER visits avoided.
Fewer lost workdays (average productivity loss is 4-6 hours per migraine day. (11,12)
Lower reliance on high-cost rescue meds.
Even conservative estimates suggest thousands of dollars in annual savings per patient when attacks are prevented or aborted early, before they escalate into emergencies or lost productivity.
Superior Economics vs. CGRP Drugs
Here’s the kicker: in prevention, Relivion’s 85% responder rate towers over the ~27%-41% seen in leading CGRP monoclonal antibodies. That’s not a small margin — it’s potentially a paradigm shift.
Investors often focus on market size, but market efficiency matters just as much. A technology that drives higher efficacy with lower downstream costs becomes a serious player not only clinically but economically.
More Than Just Clinical Data
Relivion is the first and only neuromodulation device proven in a double-blind controlled trial to deliver complete freedom from both migraine pain and the most bothersome symptom (MBS) at two hours post-treatment (13). That translates into real-world cost savings:
Patients avoid secondary interventions.
Physicians spend less time managing refractory cases.
Payors avoid long-term drug spend and complication costs.
It’s a rare scenario where patient outcomes and economics align so strongly.
Looking Ahead
Healthcare systems—and investors—are increasingly scrutinizing value-based care. Payers want therapies that don’t just work in a vacuum but reduce total cost of care. Relivion fits squarely into this trend.
The migraine market remains ripe for disruption, and technologies like Relivion are uniquely positioned to challenge both the clinical and economic status quo. If the real-world data continues to replicate trial results, the potential isn’t just medical—it’s a chance to reshape how migraine is treated and financed. And that’s the kind of opportunity investors should be watching closely.
Bottom line: Migraine’s costs aren’t going away. But Relivion might be the most cost-effective way yet to start bringing them down.
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