What it is
CGRP is a 37-amino-acid peptide made mainly in nerve tissue, and UniProt describes it as a vessel-widener. The main human form, α-CGRP, reads (UniProt P06881):
ACDTATCVTHRLAGLLSRSGGVVKNNFVPTNVGSKAF-NH2
The two cysteines at positions 2 and 7 are joined by a disulfide bond, closing a small ring at the front, and the last amino acid carries an amide cap. A second form, β-CGRP, is made from a neighbouring gene (CALCB, UniProt P10092). Lining the two up, they differ at 3 of 37 positions — 3, 22 and 25 — our count from the two records.
A peptide found in a gene first
CGRP's discovery runs backwards. In July 1982 Amara, Jonas, Rosenfeld, Ong and Evans reported that RNA from the calcitonin gene is processed in two ways: in the thyroid it gives the hormone calcitonin; in the hypothalamus it gives a different message predicting an unknown peptide (Nature, PMID 6283379). The next year Rosenfeld and colleagues confirmed it was made, mapped where, and named it calcitonin gene-related peptide, suggesting roles in pain signalling, eating and the autonomic system (Nature, 1983, PMID 6346105).
So one gene, two products, sorted by tissue:
| Product of the CALCA gene | Length | Made in | Main job (UniProt) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcitonin | 32 amino acids | Thyroid C cells | Lowers blood calcium |
| α-CGRP | 37 amino acids | Nerve tissue | Widens blood vessels |
The calcitonin side is covered in the calcitonin entry.
What it does
UniProt's summary for α-CGRP:
- It dilates blood vessels — coronary, cerebral and systemic — acting through a receptor made of two parts, CALCRL and RAMP1.
- It raises cAMP in platelets.
- Its abundance in the central nervous system "points toward" a role as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator — a cautious phrasing UniProt chose, and worth keeping.
- It can also activate the amylin receptor AMY1 (CALCR with RAMP1), which links it to amylin, another member of the same peptide family.
Its role in migraine is established in the most practical way available: drugs that block it are approved to treat or prevent migraine. That shows blocking the pathway helps; it does not, on its own, describe everything CGRP does in a migraine attack.
The eight drugs that block it
None of these is CGRP. Each label describes the drug as an antagonist of the peptide or its receptor. Approval dates are each application's original approval in Drugs@FDA (2026-10-06).
| Drug (brand) | Kind | Acts on (label) | First approved | Label indication |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erenumab (Aimovig) | Antibody | The CGRP receptor | 2018-05-17 | Preventive treatment of migraine, adults |
| Fremanezumab (Ajovy) | Antibody | CGRP itself | 2018-09-14 | Preventive, adults; episodic migraine ages 6–17 weighing 45 kg or more |
| Galcanezumab (Emgality) | Antibody | CGRP itself | 2018-09-27 | Preventive, adults; also episodic cluster headache |
| Eptinezumab (Vyepti) | Antibody | CGRP itself | 2020-02-21 | Preventive, adults |
| Ubrogepant (Ubrelvy) | Small molecule | The receptor | 2019-12-23 | Acute treatment; label: not for prevention |
| Rimegepant (Nurtec ODT) | Small molecule | The receptor | 2020-02-27 | Acute treatment, and prevention of episodic migraine |
| Atogepant (Qulipta) | Small molecule | The receptor | 2021-09-28 | Preventive, adults |
| Zavegepant (Zavzpret) | Small molecule, nasal spray | The receptor | 2023-03-09 | Acute treatment; label: not for prevention |
The table is a census of what each label says, not a comparison: this library does not rank treatments, and which one, if any, suits a person is a question for the prescriber. Generic applications for ubrogepant and rimegepant appear in Drugs@FDA, several marked as tentative approvals (2026-10-06).
Where it stands
- CGRP as a product: none. Drugs@FDA returns no application with it as an active ingredient (2026-10-06).
- CGRP as a target: eight approved drugs, the first in May 2018.
- Research record: PubMed indexes 14,719 records with the full name in the title or abstract, and 369 tagged as randomised trials (2026-10-06) — almost all of them trials of the blocking drugs, not of CGRP.
Related reading
CGRP's gene-mate is described in the calcitonin entry, and the peptide that shares part of its receptor system is in the amylin entry. Another neuropeptide in the library is substance P.