Migraine affects over 10 million people in the UK — making it more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy, and asthma combined. It is the leading cause of years lived with disability in people under 50. The discovery of CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) as a key migraine trigger has unleashed a wave of targeted therapies. Here is what is actively recruiting in the UK right now.
The UK hosts one of the world's most active migraine research communities. The NIHR has designated headache medicine as a priority area, and specialist headache centres in London, Hull, Plymouth, and Edinburgh are running multi-centre international trials.
Currently, there are over 90 actively recruiting migraine trials in the UK. The field has been transformed by CGRP-targeted therapies, and the next frontier includes precision medicine approaches based on migraine phenotype, genetics, and biomarkers.
Types of Migraine Trials
CGRP-Targeted Therapies
Monoclonal antibodies (erenumab, fremanezumab, galcanezumab) and oral gepants (rimegepant, atogepant, zavegepant) for prevention and acute treatment.
Neuromodulation
Non-invasive devices using transcranial magnetic stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, and trigeminal nerve stimulation for acute and preventive use.
Novel Preventive Targets
PACAP receptor antagonists, orexin receptor antagonists, and next-generation approaches beyond CGRP for patients who do not respond to current options.
Chronic Migraine Management
Optimising Botox protocols, combination preventive therapies, and medication overuse management for the most severe cases.
CGRP Monoclonal Antibodies
CGRP monoclonal antibodies were the first migraine-specific preventive treatments, representing a paradigm shift from repurposed blood pressure, epilepsy, and antidepressant medications. UK trials are now refining their use:
Extended dosing intervals — can fremanezumab and galcanezumab work with quarterly rather than monthly injections?
Treatment duration — what happens when CGRP antibodies are stopped? Can remission be maintained?
Combination therapy — pairing CGRP antibodies with oral preventives or Botox for refractory chronic migraine
Paediatric migraine — extending the evidence base to children and adolescents (ages 6–17)
Menstrual migraine — targeted use of CGRP antibodies around the menstrual cycle
Gepants: Oral CGRP Receptor Antagonists
Gepants offer an oral alternative to injectable CGRP antibodies, with some agents working for both acute treatment and prevention:
Rimegepant (Nurtec) — the first dual-purpose gepant, approved for both acute treatment and prevention. UK trials are exploring optimal dosing schedules and long-term outcomes
Atogepant (Aquipta) — approved for migraine prevention, now being tested in broader populations and in combination with acute therapies
Zavegepant — a nasal spray gepant for ultra-rapid acute treatment, ideal for patients with nausea or vomiting during attacks
Next-generation gepants — longer-acting oral agents with improved bioavailability and fewer drug interactions
Neuromodulation Devices
For patients who prefer non-pharmacological approaches — or who cannot take medications due to pregnancy, cardiovascular disease, or drug interactions — neuromodulation devices offer a drug-free alternative:
Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (sTMS) — a portable device placed at the back of the head during a migraine attack
Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) — gammaCore, a handheld device stimulating the vagus nerve in the neck
External trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) — Cefaly, a forehead-worn device targeting the trigeminal nerve
Combined neuromodulation + pharmacotherapy — trials testing whether devices enhance the effectiveness of medication
Neuromodulation trials often have broader eligibility criteria and may be suitable for patients who have not responded to multiple preventive medications.
Chronic Migraine and Botox Research
Chronic migraine (≥15 headache days per month, of which ≥8 are migraine) affects approximately 700,000 people in the UK. Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) remains the only NICE-approved treatment specifically for chronic migraine. Active research includes:
Optimised injection protocols — refining the fixed-site, fixed-dose PREEMPT protocol for individual patient needs
Botox + CGRP combinations — whether adding a CGRP antibody to Botox provides superior outcomes
Medication overuse headache — integrated withdrawal and preventive therapy programmes
Transition from chronic to episodic — strategies to reduce headache frequency below the chronic threshold
Novel Preventive Therapies
Beyond CGRP, exciting new targets are entering UK clinical trials:
PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide) receptor antagonists — targeting an alternative migraine pathway that may work for CGRP non-responders
Orexin receptor antagonists — targeting the hypothalamic pathways involved in migraine, particularly useful for sleep-related migraine triggers
KCNK channel modulators — targeting potassium channels involved in pain signalling and cortical spreading depression
Anti-inflammatory approaches — targeting neuroinflammation as a driver of migraine chronification
Who Can Participate?
Common eligibility criteria for UK migraine trials include:
Confirmed diagnosis of migraine (episodic or chronic) by a neurologist or headache specialist
Migraine frequency — typically ≥4 migraine days per month for preventive trials, or active migraine at enrolment for acute trials
Failure or intolerance of previous preventive treatments — often ≥2 or ≥3 prior preventive failures
Migraine diary data — most trials require 28 days of prospective headache diary entries to confirm baseline frequency
Age requirements — most adult trials accept 18–65; some extend to 75; paediatric trials for ages 6–17
Exclusion of other headache disorders — cluster headache, tension-type headache as primary diagnosis, or secondary headaches
💡 Tip: Start a Headache Diary Now
Nearly every migraine trial requires prospective diary data to confirm your migraine frequency. Start a diary today (paper, app, or spreadsheet) tracking: date, headache intensity, migraine features, medications taken, and functional disability. After 28 days, you will have the data most trial teams need for screening.
UK Migraine Trial Locations
Major UK centres running migraine trials include:
London — National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital
Hull — Hull Royal Infirmary, one of the UK's largest headache centres
Plymouth — Plymouth University Hospitals, specialist headache research unit
Edinburgh — Western General Hospital, Anne Rowling Clinic
Liverpool — The Walton Centre, specialist neuroscience NHS trust
Manchester — Salford Royal Hospital, Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences
Sheffield — Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
Bristol — Southmead Hospital, Bristol Brain Centre
How to Find Your Match
Use our Smart Matcher to find migraine trials tailored to your migraine type, frequency, and treatment history. Whether you are looking for preventive therapies, acute treatments, or device-based options, we can match you to actively recruiting studies.
Browse our migraine condition page for all recruiting studies, or explore related conditions like epilepsy or stroke if you have overlapping neurological concerns.
Find Migraine Trials For You
Our Smart Matcher uses your migraine type, frequency, and treatment history to find the most relevant clinical trials.