FDA Approves New Type of Non-Opioid Painkiller For Acute Pain



The FDA recently approved a new type of non-opioid painkiller from Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The drug, Journavx (suzetrigine) was approved to treat moderate to severe acute or short-term pain in adults. Experts say the drug, which is billed as non-addictive, could reduce the number of opioids patients are prescribed after surgery or being used by patients who can’t take other pain medications. Although the number of patients going home from surgery with opioids has declined in recent years, many patients still leave the hospital with prescriptions. Despite the risks, opioids are extremely effective at treating pain, which has left doctors and patients with few options when acetaminophen (Tylenol) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen aren’t enough. The body registers pain through nerve endings throughout the body. Touch a hot stove, for example, and the nerve will send signals to the spinal cord and up to the brain that you’re experiencing pain in your hand. Opioids work by stimulating opioid receptors in the brain and essentially blocking those pain signals. During the process, the brain also floods with the neurotransmitter dopamine, creating feelings of euphoria and activating the brain’s reward system. That’s why opioids can be incredibly addictive. Journavx works in a completely different way, by blocking the pain signal from traveling to the brain in the first place. The signal is triggered by sodium molecules rushing into the nerve ending, sending the message onward to the brain. Right now, all the evidence suggests the drug has no addiction potential at all, meaning it’s no different than Tylenol or ibuprofen in terms of addiction potential.