A new non-opioid painkiller designed to treat short-term pain in adults has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The drug, suzetrigine—marketed under the brand name Journavx—works by intercepting pain signals before they reach the brain.
According to its manufacturer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, this mechanism allows it to offer relief for moderate to severe pain without “the addictive potential of opioids.”
The US has long struggled with an opioid addiction crisis. In 2017, then-President Donald Trump labeled it a “national shame” and declared it a public health emergency.
The FDA described the drug’s approval as “an important public health milestone in acute pain management,” noting that clinical trials showed it effectively reduced pain following surgery.
Opioid use remains a major concern, with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting 82,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2022.
Now in his second term, President Trump has pledged to impose 25% border tariffs on Canada and Mexico, in part to curb fentanyl—a potent synthetic opioid—entering the US. He has also threatened tariffs on China, citing concerns over the country’s fentanyl exports.
Opioids function by stimulating receptors in the brain to block pain while also triggering dopamine release, creating a sense of euphoria and reinforcing the brain’s reward system—making them highly addictive.
Vertex estimates that nearly 10% of acute pain patients initially prescribed opioids develop prolonged usage.
Journavx, however, takes a different approach by preventing pain signals from reaching the brain.
Vertex said it is the first drug of its kind to be approved in more than two decades.
Calling the approval a “historic milestone for the 80 million people in America who are prescribed a medicine for moderate-to-severe acute pain each year,” Vertex CEO Reshma Kewalramani emphasized its significance.
The company said each capsule of Journavx will be priced at $15.50 (£12.50) but noted that it remains unclear whether the drug “is safe and effective in children.”
Source-BBC
