The Lake Success, New York office of NSPC Brain & Spine Surgery has been approved to serve as one of several “study sites” for a nationwide clinical trial of a drug to treat the pain of Trigeminal Neuralgia, a neuropathic facial pain condition that produces sudden, excruciating pain in the jaw or cheek area on one side of an affected person’s face.

According to Dr. Jeffrey A. Brown, a senior partner and attending neurosurgeon at NSPC, the clinical trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of a drug manufactured by Biohaven Pharmaceuticals called Rimegepant compared to a placebo for adults, 18 years or older.

A nationally known expert in the treatment of TN, Dr. Brown serves as the Facial Pain Association Medical Advisory Board National Chairman.

Brown said Rimegepant ‘has been shown to be safe and efficacious for the treatment of migraine headaches and is approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for this condition. “Trigeminal neuralgia is a potentially new use for this medication,” he said, “which works by a different mechanism than the established drugs currently in use and may be effective in treating the pain of TN.”

The Biohaven Pharmaceuticals’ TN study is open to patients, said Brown, “with poorly controlled trigeminal neuralgia as determined by careful evaluation. It will be double-blinded and will take approximately seven to nine weeks to complete, with an opportunity to continue for an additional 12 weeks.

Participants may be able to continue a stabilized dosage of their current medications.” Patients will be randomly assigned either Rimegepant or a placebo.

Screening evaluations and an MRI may be required prior to enrollment in the study. A series of pain scale evaluations, as well as blood tests, will be completed during the trial to assure the safety of participants.

Individuals suffering from Trigeminal Neuralgia who would like to be considered for participation in the Biohaven Rimegepant TN Study can call (516) 442-2250, ext. 2004, or visit https://nspc.com/tn-clinical-trial/