Emgality (Galcanezumab) 120mg Injection Pen

£349.99 (£349.99 per boxes)

Emgality is a once-monthly injection used to help prevent migraines in adults who experience frequent migraine attacks (usually 4 or more migraine days each month) (1-2).

It’s typically offered when a patient has previously tried and failed at least three other preventative drug treatments; standard preventive treatments haven’t worked well enough or have caused difficult side effects. Because of this, you need to have a diagnosis from a migraine specialist in order to get a prescription for Emgality.

Emgality works differently from older migraine medicines by targeting CGRP, a key chemical involved in migraine attacks, helping reduce how often they happen over time. Treatment treatment is started after diagnosis of chronic migraine from a specialist and the injections can be given at home.

What is Emgality?

Emgality contains a medicine called galcanezumab, a targeted preventive treatment designed specifically for migraine. Unlike pain relief medicines taken during an attack, Emgality works in the background to reduce how often migraines occur.

If Emgality works well for you, it can help make migraine attacks less frequent and easier to manage. It’s usually considered after trying other preventive medicines such as propranolol or amitriptyline.

How is Emgality different from other migraine medicines?

Some migraine medicines are taken when an attack starts to help relieve symptoms. These include treatments such as almotriptan, sumatriptan, frovatriptan, and rimegepant.

Emgality works differently. Instead of treating individual attacks, it’s taken once a month to reduce how often migraines happen over time. This makes it a suitable option for people who are taking acute treatments regularly or whose migraines are still affecting daily life despite trying standard preventive medicines.

Some people continue using acute treatments alongside Emgality if occasional attacks still occur.

How does Emgality work?

Emgality works by blocking a substance called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which plays an important role in starting migraine attacks. By reducing CGRP activity, it helps lower the number of migraine days each month (2).

In clinical trials, some people notice improvement within the first week, although the full effect usually develops over several months (3). Your clinician will normally review how you’re responding at around 3 months to check whether you’re seeing good results (1).

As a guide, it is usually considered successful if migraine frequency has reduced by (1):

At least 50% in people with episodic migraine (fewer than 15 headache days monthly), or
At least 30% in people with chronic migraine (15 or more headache days monthly)

Could Emgality be right for you?

Emgality is usually considered when migraines are happening regularly and you have already tried three preventative treatments without success. Most people are offered standard preventive medicines first. If these haven’t worked well for you, your clinician may suggest a newer treatment like Emgality instead.

It may be appropriate if you:

Are aged 18 or over
Have migraine with or without aura
Have already tried at least three preventive migraine treatments without success
Experience 4 or more migraine days each month
Have treatment started by a clinician experienced in migraine care

To be prescribed Emgality, you need to have a diagnosis from a migraine specialist.

Who shouldn’t take Emgality?

Emgality isn’t suitable for everyone, which is why it is a prescription-only medicine in the UK. You’ll need to complete an online consultation before being prescribed Emgality.

Treatment is not recommended if you are pregnant, planning pregnancy, breastfeeding, under 18 years old, or have certain serious cardiovascular conditions, are hypersensitive to Emgality, have severe renal or hepatic impairment (2). If you’re over 65 there is less experience with Emgality in this age group. We do not prescribe Emgality to patients over 65 for this reason.

If you’re unsure whether Emgality might be an option for you, our independent doctors can review your migraine history and previous treatments to help decide what’s most appropriate.

What benefits can Emgality offer?

Preventive migraine treatments aim to reduce how often attacks happen and how disruptive they feel day to day. With Emgality, this may include:

Fewer migraine days each month
Less severe migraine attacks
Reduced need for acute migraine medicines
Improved ability to plan work, travel, and social activities

Everyone reacts differently, which is why treatment is usually reviewed after 3 months to check how your body is responding to the medicine.

For full details about how Emgality works and what to expect from treatment, read the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with your medication.

Emgality (Galcanezumab) 120mg Injection Pen reviews

How to use Emgality (Galcanezumab) 120mg Injection Pen

Emgality is given as an injection under the skin once a month. It can be injected into:

The abdomen
The thigh
The back of the upper arm
The buttock

Treatment starts with two injections (240 mg total) on your first treatment day. This is followed by one injection (120 mg) each month after that. Changing injection sites each month can help reduce skin irritation and redness at the injection site.

How do you inject Emgality?

Here's a simple step-by-step guide for injecting Emgality:

Before you start:

Take the pen out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes
Check the medicine is clear (colourless to slightly yellow) and not expired, cloudy, or damaged
Wash your hands with soap and water
Choose your injection site (abdomen or thigh if self-injecting) and clean and dry the area

Injecting:

With the base cap still on, twist it off and throw it away – don't put it back on
Place the clear base flat and firmly against your skin
Turn the lock ring to the unlock position
Press and hold the teal injection button – you'll hear a loud first click
Keep holding the pen firmly against your skin and wait 5–10 seconds for a second click, which means the injection is complete
Remove the pen from your skin – you should see the grey plunger to confirm it worked

After injecting:

Do not recap the pen
Dispose of it in a sharps container straight away
If there's a drop of blood or liquid on your skin, press a cotton ball over the site – don't rub it

Most people find self-injecting with Emgality straightforward. In research studies (4):

94% of people reported the pen was easy to use
96% felt confident injecting it themselves

It is supplied as a pre-filled pen containing a 120mg dose, so the correct amount is delivered automatically with each injection (two pens are needed for your first injection).

For step-by-step guidance on how to self-inject, read the Instructions for Use which will also be included with your medication.

If you ever feel unsure about giving an injection, the expert team at Oxford Online Pharmacy can talk you through the steps again. You can contact our team here, call us on 01295 262 925, or email us at info@oxfordop.co.uk.

Side effects of Emgality (Galcanezumab) 120mg Injection Pen

Not everyone experiences side effects with Emgality. Pain, redness and itching at the injection site are the most common, affecting up to 1 in 10 people. These effects are usually mild, settle on their own, and can be minimised by injecting at a different site each time.

Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people)

Injection site pain
Injection site reactions — this covers several specific reported terms: injection site reaction, redness (erythema), itching, bruising, and swelling

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)

Vertigo (dizziness/spinning sensation). If this happens, avoid driving or operating machinery until symptoms improve.
Constipation
Pruritus (itching)
Rash

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)

Urticaria (hives — raised, itchy areas of skin). Note: while classified as uncommon, serious cases of urticaria have been reported in clinical studies

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people) — serious allergic reactions

Anaphylaxis
Angioedema (swelling of the neck, face, mouth, lips, tongue, or throat, which can develop rapidly)

Serious allergic reactions are also possible, though rare. Some reactions occur within 24 hours of injection, but they can be delayed, happening up to 4 weeks after administration (2). Stop treatment and seek urgent medical help if you notice any signs of an allergic reaction, including:

Difficulty breathing or swallowing
Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, throat, or neck
Severe itching with a widespread rash or raised bumps
Dizziness or light-headedness caused by low blood pressure

A full list of possible side effects can be found in the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with your medication. Always read it before starting treatment.

You should not use Emgality if you:

Have a hypersensitivity (allergy) to galcanezumab or to any of the excipients: L-histidine, L-histidine hydrochloride monohydrate, polysorbate 80, sodium chloride, or water for injections.
Have serious cardiovascular disease
Are pregnant
Are breast-feeding
Are under 18

Frequently Asked Questions

: No, Emgality is not a painkiller. It is a preventative migraine medicine, meaning it works in the background to reduce the number of migraine attacks that occur rather than helping numb the pain during one. You can normally take migraine pain relief medicine if you do have an attack.
: Some people notice fewer migraine days within the first week of treatment, although improvement is usually clearer over the first 2 to 3 months. Your clinician will normally review your response around this time to decide whether treatment should continue.
: Your clinician will normally review your progress after around 3 months to check whether the treatment is helping enough to continue. If it is working well, Emgality can be used longer term with regular reviews to make sure it remains the right option for you.
: Not necessarily. Preventive migraine treatment is reviewed regularly, and your prescriber may recommend continuing, pausing, or changing treatment depending on how well it works for you and how your migraines change over time.
: Yes, Emgality is commonly used alongside acute migraine treatments such as triptans or standard pain relief medicines. Preventive treatments reduce how often migraine attacks happen, but you may still need other medicines occasionally.
: Yes, you can inject Emgality at home. Your first dose will be two 120ml injections for your 'loading phase'. After that, most people give their monthly injections themselves at home.
: Emgality is not recommended during pregnancy because there is limited safety information available. If you are pregnant, planning pregnancy, or think you may be pregnant, speak to your clinician before continuing treatment.
: Emgality works differently from traditional migraine medicines because it targets CGRP, a key chemical involved in migraine attacks. It’s usually considered when older treatments have not worked well or caused side effects, and it belongs to the same group of medicines as Aimovig and Ajovy.