Revolution in pain management: first non-opioid drug arrives

JOURNAVX bottle and tablet (Photo: Business Wire)

The Food and Drug Administration has approved suzetrigine for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain, a new selective inhibitor of the NaV1.8 pain signal, the first in a new class of drugs that do not use opioids for the treatment of acute pain.

The introduction of this new therapy comes after years in which treatments have made systematic use of products derived from opium, responsible for heavy side effects and with strong effects on the quality of life. Opioids are very strong painkillers, often administered to relieve severe pain, such as after serious accidents or surgery. If used for a short period of time they are very effective in relieving pain but when used for a longer period, they can cause more pain and create dependency or even the risk of premature death.
After years of research, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has developed the new treatment, marketed under the name Journavx, which has been clinically proven to be as effective as opioids in the treatment of acute post-operative pain but with a significantly more favorable side effect profile. The drug blocks pain signals that are only found in the periphery, not in the brain, without the limitations of currently available therapies.

“Today’s approval is a historic milestone … we have the opportunity to change the paradigm of acute pain management and establish a new standard of care,” said Reshma Kewalramani, President of Vertex, who since April 2020 has been the first woman to head a major U.S. biotech company.

https://openresearch.nihr.ac.uk/articles/4-48

https://news.vrtx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/vertex-announces-fda-approval-journavxtm-suzetrigine-first-class