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Migraine Headache

Neurology
10
Pipeline Programs
17
Companies
15
Clinical Trials
0
Approved Products

Pipeline by Development Stage

Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 1/2
Phase 2
Phase 2/3
Phase 3
On Market
0
1
0
3
1
2
3
Early DiscoveryClinical DevelopmentMarket

Drug Modality Breakdown

Small Molecule
375%
Monoclonal Antibody
125%
+ 16 programs with unclassified modality

Neurology is a $26.9B market dominated by a single blockbuster anticoagulant (ELIQUIS), representing a mature but consolidating therapeutic area.

$26.9B marketMature→ Stable30 products15 companies

Key Trends

  • Extreme market concentration: 68% of spending driven by one FXa inhibitor product
  • Psychiatric and migraine therapies emerging as secondary growth drivers
  • High clinical trial activity (8,279 trials) signals continued pipeline development

Career Verdict

Neurology offers solid career stability with good hiring demand, but limited upside growth—best suited for professionals seeking established market positions rather than emerging-area innovation.

AI-generated market analysis based on FDA, CMS, ClinicalTrials.gov, and hiring data

Market Leaders

#1ELIQUISStable
$18.3B
Bristol Myers Squibb·Launch15.0yr
$1.8B
#3BRILINTAStable
$692M
AstraZeneca·Peak10.2yr
#4NUPLAZIDStable
$596M
$530M
Johnson & Johnson·Peak15.6yr

Drug Class Breakdown

FXa Inhibitors (anticoagulant)
$18.3B(68%)

market-defining single product

Dopamine/Serotonin Antagonists (psychiatric)
$2.4B(9%)

stable mature class

P2Y12 Receptor Antagonists (antiplatelet)
$692M(3%)

niche but stable

5-HT2A Inverse Agonists (psychiatric)
$596M(2%)

specialty indication focus

CGRP Receptor Antagonists (migraine)
$931M(3%)

emerging growth segment

Immunomodulators (MS)
$747M(3%)

stable with LOE risk

Other mechanisms
$2.6B(10%)

diverse small products

Career Outlook

Stable

Neurology represents a mature, cash-generative market with limited growth tailwinds but strong hiring stability. The dominance of ELIQUIS creates a bifurcated career landscape: high-opportunity positions in emerging segments (CGRP antagonists, psychiatric therapeutics) and commoditized roles in anticoagulant franchises. Job availability is solid but growth expectations should be tempered relative to oncology or immunology.

Breaking In

Entry-level professionals should target clinical operations or commercial support roles at J&J, AstraZeneca, or Sanofi to build domain expertise in neurology disease states and competitive dynamics.

For Experienced Professionals

Experienced professionals should prioritize emerging mechanism roles (CGRP, tau-targeting programs) or pivot to medtech/neurotech (Stryker, Medtronic) to capture higher growth and salary potential than traditional pharma incumbents.

In-Demand Skills

Medical Science Liaisons (MSL) for specialist engagementClinical trial operations expertisePsychiatric/neurodegenerative disease educationRegulatory affairs (given patent cliff activity)Commercial strategy around branded/generic transitions

Best For

Medical Science LiaisonCommercial Brand Manager (anticoagulant/psychiatric franchises)Clinical Operations ManagerRegulatory Affairs SpecialistClinical Development Manager (CGRP/immunomodulator pipelines)

Hiring Landscape

$100K-$199K

Neurology shows moderate but distributed hiring across pharma and medtech employers, with 4,186 total jobs listed. Commercial functions lead (947 roles, $169K avg), followed by clinical operations (467 roles, $132K avg), indicating bias toward commercialization over R&D. Takeda leads external hiring (762 jobs) with strong representation in contract research and CRO spaces.

4,186
Open Roles
5
Companies Hiring
5
Departments

Top Hiring Companies

762Growing
434Stable
302Stable

By Department

Commercial(23%)
$169K
Clinical Operations(11%)
$132K
Engineering(8%)
$199K
IT(4%)
$100K
Manufacturing(3%)
$170K

Commercial and clinical operations roles dominate, offering stable mid-career positions; engineering roles command premium salaries ($199K), suggesting strong device/neurotech hiring pockets.

Competitive Landscape

15 companies ranked by most advanced pipeline stage

ViiV Healthcare
ViiV HealthcareNC - Durham
3 programs
1
Propranolol or nadololPhase 4Small Molecule
Clinical Study Of Migraine EvolutionN/A
TreximetN/A
MSD
MSDIreland - Ballydine
1 program
1
Propranolol or nadololPhase 4Small Molecule1 trial
Active Trials
NCT00910689Completed232Est. Nov 2005
Sharp Therapeutics
Sharp TherapeuticsPA - Pittsburgh
1 program
1
Propranolol or nadololPhase 4Small Molecule
Ache Laboratorios Farmaceuticos
1 program
1
Cefaliv® & PlaceboPhase 31 trial
Active Trials
NCT02706015Withdrawn0Est. Jul 2021
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories
1 program
1
DFN-15 ActivePhase 31 trial
Active Trials
NCT03009019Completed631Est. May 2019
Oregon Therapeutics
Oregon TherapeuticsFrance - Paris
1 program
1
PropofolPhase 2/31 trial
Active Trials
NCT01604785Completed74Est. Aug 2016
Prevail Therapeutics
3 programs
3
GalcanezumabPhase 2Monoclonal Antibody1 trial
LY2590443Phase 21 trial
LY2951742Phase 21 trial
Active Trials
NCT02163993Completed414Est. Feb 2018
NCT00804973Terminated120Est. May 2009
NCT01625988Completed218Est. Sep 2013
Innovation Pharmaceuticals
1 program
1
IbudilastPhase 11 trial
Active Trials
NCT01389193Completed33Est. Dec 2015
GSK
GSKLONDON, United Kingdom
2 programs
Clinical Study Of Migraine EvolutionN/A1 trial
TreximetN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT00460005Completed250
NCT00837044Unknown30Est. Sep 2009
AbbVie
AbbVieNORTH CHICAGO, IL
1 program
Botulinum Toxin Type AN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT00850421Terminated35Est. Apr 2010
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & JohnsonNEW BRUNSWICK, NJ
1 program
Soy IsoflavonesN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT00203255Completed25Est. Mar 2005
Eisai
EisaiChina - Liaoning
1 program
AriceptPHASE_21 trial
Active Trials
NCT01146509Completed89Est. Mar 2007
UCB Pharma
UCB PharmaBelgium - Brussels
1 program
Intraject SumatriptanPHASE_21 trial
Active Trials
NCT00530517Completed54Est. Oct 2007
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and CompanyINDIANAPOLIS, IN
1 program
LY2590443PHASE_2
Takeda
TakedaTOKYO, Japan
1 program
ramelteonPHASE_41 trial
Active Trials
NCT00391755Terminated4Est. Oct 2009

Trial Timeline

Clinical trial activity over time

2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Takedaramelteon
MSDPropranolol or nadolol
Ache Laboratorios FarmaceuticosCefaliv® & Placebo
Dr. Reddy's LaboratoriesDFN-15 Active
Oregon TherapeuticsPropofol
Prevail TherapeuticsGalcanezumab
Prevail TherapeuticsLY2951742
Prevail TherapeuticsLY2590443
UCB PharmaIntraject Sumatriptan
EisaiAricept
Innovation PharmaceuticalsIbudilast
GSKTreximet
GSKClinical Study Of Migraine Evolution
AbbVieBotulinum Toxin Type A
Johnson & JohnsonSoy Isoflavones

Clinical Trials (15)

Total enrollment: 2,209 patients across 15 trials

A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of Rozerem in Migraine Headaches

Start: Oct 2006Est. completion: Oct 20094 patients
Phase 4Terminated
NCT00910689MSDPropranolol or nadolol

Drug and Non-Drug Treatment Of Severe Migraine

Start: Jul 2001Est. completion: Nov 2005232 patients
Phase 4Completed

Cefaliv® Compared to Neosaldina® in the Treatment of Migraine Attacks

Start: Oct 2020Est. completion: Jul 20210
Phase 3Withdrawn

Efficacy, Tolerability, and Safety of DFN-15

Start: Dec 2016Est. completion: May 2019631 patients
Phase 3Completed

Low-dose Propofol for Pediatric Migraine

Start: Nov 2012Est. completion: Aug 201674 patients
Phase 2/3Completed

A Study of Galcanezumab (LY2951742) in Participants With Migraine Headache

Start: Jul 2014Est. completion: Feb 2018414 patients
Phase 2Completed

A Study of LY2951742 in Participants With Migraine

Start: Jun 2012Est. completion: Sep 2013218 patients
Phase 2Completed

Study in Participants With Acute Migraines Headaches

Start: Nov 2008Est. completion: May 2009120 patients
Phase 2Terminated
NCT00530517UCB PharmaIntraject Sumatriptan

A Study on the Usability of the Needle-free Intraject® System in Adult Patients During Acute Migraine Attack

Start: Sep 2007Est. completion: Oct 200754 patients
Phase 2Completed

An Evaluation Of The Efficacy And Safety Of Donepezil Hydrochloride (E2020) In Migraine Prophylaxis

Start: Jan 2003Est. completion: Mar 200789 patients
Phase 2Completed

Ibudilast in the Treatment of Patients With Chronic Migraine.

Start: Jun 2013Est. completion: Dec 201533 patients
Phase 1Completed

Treximet in Acute Migraine Headache: Assessing Cognitive Function

Start: Feb 2009Est. completion: Sep 200930 patients
N/AUnknown
NCT00460005GSKClinical Study Of Migraine Evolution

Clinical Study Of Migraine Evolution

Start: Jan 2006250 patients
N/ACompleted
NCT00850421AbbVieBotulinum Toxin Type A

Pilot Study of BOTOX for Migraine Headaches

Start: Apr 2004Est. completion: Apr 201035 patients
N/ATerminated

Clinical Study Examining Use of an Over-the-Counter Supplement for the Prevention of Menstrually-Associated Migraine Headache

Start: May 2003Est. completion: Mar 200525 patients
N/ACompleted

Related Jobs in Neurology

Phase Legend

PreclinicalLab & animal studies
Phase 1Safety & dosing
Phase 2Efficacy testing
Phase 3Large-scale trials
On MarketApproved & available

Key Insights

2 late-stage (Phase 3) programs, potential near-term approvals
17 companies competing in this space

The information on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Drug information is sourced from FDA, DailyMed, and other government databases. Adverse event data from FAERS does not establish causation. Always consult a healthcare professional for medical decisions.