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SOUTH JORDAN — People who experience migraines may find quicker relief in the future, thanks to the work of local researchers.

A new nasal spray intended to relieve migraines is being developed by Venkata Yellepeddi and his team at the Roseman University of Health Sciences, which is located in South Jordan. Yellepeddi said the spray, a new formulation of prochlorperazine, is novel because it is quick acting and consumer friendly.

“A migraine is an acute attack. Once you have migraine pain, it’s just very excruciating and you want something which will work immediately,” he said. “So if you take a pill, the pill has to go to your stomach and it has to dissolve and disintegrate and then get absorbed into the blood. Through the blood it has to go to your brain and act. All of this process will take 20 to 30 minutes. When you compare (the pill) to the nasal spray, (the nasal spray’s effect) is immediate.”

Once you have migraine pain, it's just very excruciating and you want something which will work immediately. –Venkata Yellepeddi

Another alternative, administration of the drug through a shot, is also time-consuming and expensive because it requires a trip to the doctor, according to Yellepeddi. He is an assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Roseman, in addition to being an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Utah’s College of Pharmacy.

The formulation is still in the beginning stages of development, but Yellepeddi said his team has established that the spray is a viable treatment for migraines because it can remain stable for 120 days at room temperature. Next, they will test its effectiveness in rats.

Typically it takes 10-12 years for a new drug to hit pharmacy shelves. However, Yellepeddi said the nasal spray may make it through the process quicker because prochlorperazine has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Still, he expects the process will take at least five years if he continues to have good funding and results.

The goal is to develop a product that people prone to migraines can carry in their pocket. About 37 million people in the United States experience migraines, according to the FDA.

The nasal spray was presented at the 2014 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego at the beginning of November.

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