Pfizer Japan has launched Nurtec ODT (rimegepant, brand name ナルティークOD錠 75mg), the first oral CGRP-receptor antagonist available in Japan for both acute migraine treatment and prevention in the same tablet. Until now, Japanese patients needing both functions typically required two separate products — an acute-treatment drug and a separate injectable preventive antibody.
Why this matters for the Japanese market
Migraine affects an estimated 8.4% of people aged 15 and older in Japan, and industry estimates put the associated annual economic burden in the hundreds of billions of yen when lost productivity and medical costs are combined. Until recently, Japan’s preventive-treatment options were dominated by injectable CGRP-targeting antibodies — Emgality (domestic FY2025 sales of roughly ¥13.0 billion) and Ajovy (roughly ¥7.9 billion) among them. Nurtec’s oral, dual-purpose format is a meaningfully different delivery model, and Pfizer projects peak annual sales of approximately ¥21.8 billion.
Competitive landscape
Nurtec is not entering an empty field. AbbVie has filed for approval of Aquipta (atogepant), a preventive-only oral CGRP antagonist, and Lundbeck Japan has filed for eptinezumab, an intravenous preventive antibody. Globally, CGRP-targeted therapies now account for roughly 57% of preventive migraine drug sales (as of 2024), reflecting a broader industry shift away from older, non-specific preventives. Earlier-stage research is also active: an antibody candidate (bocunebart) targeting the PACAP pathway — a mechanism distinct from CGRP — is in a 431-participant Phase 2 trial spanning 14 countries.
What this is — and isn’t
This article summarizes a regulatory and market development reported in Japan’s pharmaceutical trade press. It is not medical advice, and it does not evaluate the comparative efficacy or safety of any product named here. Patients with migraine should discuss treatment options with a licensed physician.
References
- Pfizer Japan, press release on rimegepant sulfate hydrate application, 27 November 2024 — pfizer.co.jp
- Care Net, “片頭痛の急性期治療・発症抵制に適応の経口药「ナルティークOD錠 75mg」発売（ファイザー” — carenet.com
- Answers News, “【片頭痛】国内初「治療と予防」倉方に使えるCGRP関連药が登場…ファイザーの「ナルティーク」発売、アッヴィも申請中”, 18 February 2026 — answers.and-pro.jp/pharmanews/31879/
- Nikkei Medical, coverage of oral acute/preventive migraine therapy — medical.nikkeibp.co.jp