Earlier this week, I came across Miles for Migraine, an NGO focused on advocacy for those living with migraine. I knew migraine disproportionately impacted women, but if I’m honest, I had never really taken a closer look at the space.
So last week I did, and what I found was a thriving ecosystem - a mix of advocacy organizations, new research efforts, and an increasing number of startups working on solutions to better diagnose, manage, and treat migraine.
It’s an interesting space, and one that I expect to gain more attention especially in the context of women’s health, as we expand the conversation to a more holistic view of what women’s health actually is.
So today: Let’s talk migraines and innovation.
👉 First: Some stats
Migraine is extremely common, yet it remains one of the most underfunded and often misunderstood areas of medicine.
According to NIH data, headache disorders - including migraine - affect nearly 3 billion people globally each year. In the United States alone, 16% of adults report experiencing migraines or severe headaches.
Migraine is most common among people aged 30–49 and is strongly associated with hormone fluctuations, which may partly explain why women are disproportionately affected.
In fact, women are twice as likely as men to experience migraine, with 21% of women impacted compared to just over 10% of men. Despite this clear gender disparity, research funding, public awareness, and clinical innovation have historically lagged behind other major health conditions.
There is also a significant gap in diagnosis: Up to half of those living with migraine remain undiagnosed, and mental health impacts, including elevated rates of suicidal ideation, remain under-addressed.
For a condition that severely impacts quality of life, career trajectories, and economic participation, the level of societal attention has not kept pace with the need.
While migraine is still too often dismissed as "just a headache," it’s clear that it is a complex neurological disease — and that narrative is finally beginning to shift.
👉 Migraine and Innovation
Looking at the innovation landscape, several areas stand out.
A big part of the companies active in this space are focused on neuromodulation technologies, developing wearable or implantable devices to help manage or prevent migraine attacks. Examples include:
- Theranica (Israel): Nerivio, a smartphone-controlled wearable for acute migraine treatment - Link
- Cefaly (Belgium): External trigeminal nerve stimulation devices for prevention and treatment - Link
- electroCore (USA): Vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) therapies - LInk
- eNeura (USA): Portable TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) devices - Link
- Relivion (Israel): Non-invasive neuromodulation headset - Link
Others are innovating through digital health platforms that offer patients new ways to track triggers, access care remotely, and personalize treatment:
- Migrevention (Estonia): Digital headache clinic offering personalized diagnosis and management - Link
- Thirty Madison (USA): Thirty Madison is the company behind Cove, an online platform for migraine diagnosis and medication delivery - Link
- Healint (Migraine Buddy) (Singapore): Migraine tracking app with trigger and symptom monitoring - Link
- Curelator (USA): Analytics-based platform to identify individual migraine triggers - Link
Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical and biotech sector continues to advance drug development, with companies like:
- Biohaven Pharmaceuticals (USA): CGRP antagonist therapies for migraine - Link
- Axsome Therapeutics (USA): Developing therapies targeting neurological pathways - Link
- Impel NeuroPharma (USA): Nose-to-brain drug delivery systems for migraine medications - Link
- Nuritas (Ireland): AI-driven peptide discovery targeting migraine pathways - Link
Looking at these trends, it seems that migraine management is becoming more personalized, with a stronger focus on tailoring treatments to individual patient profiles, whether through AI, apps, or biomarker-driven approaches.
Access to care is also improving as virtual clinics and telemedicine platforms lower barriers for patients, particularly in regions with a shortage of headache specialists.
At the same time, new funding and research models are emerging, like patients and advocacy organizations stepping in to support research and the training of future headache specialists, helping to address gaps left by traditional funding sources.
👉 So what now?
As we continue working to expand the definition of women’s health beyond gynecological and reproductive care, I expect migraine - and headache medicine more broadly - to receive more attention.
Given the significant disease burden, gender disparities, and historically low investment, migraine is a space worth adding to the women’s health innovation watch list.
There’s a real opportunity for innovators, investors, and health systems to rethink how we approach migraine: Not just as a neurological condition, but as a major public health issue that disproportionately impacts women’s lives, careers, and well-being.
For a condition that has long been invisible in public health conversations, it’s encouraging to see a lot of innovation happening across devices, drugs, and care models. But it’s also clear there’s a lot of work still ahead - both in reducing stigma and in making sure the new solutions actually reach those who need them.
So in summary: Migraine isn’t just a medical challenge anymore; it’s becoming part of a larger conversation about equity, access, and how we redefine what matters in women’s health.
