FDA greenlights new painkiller, first in over two decades

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The FDA approved Journavx for use in the United States. Associated Press/Photo by Vertex Pharmaceuticals

FDA greenlights new painkiller, first in over two decades

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a non-opioid pain medication called suzetrigine for use in the United States. The medicine will be sold by Vertex Pharmaceuticals under the brand name Journavx. Unlike opioids, Suzetrigine is not addictive. Vertex plans to sell the medicine for $15.50 per 50 mg pill. It is the first prescription analgesic used to treat moderate to severe acute pain in adults to be approved by the agency in more than 25 years.

The last painkiller approved by the FDA was Celebrex, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication. Referred to as a Cox-2 inhibitor, Celebrex was approved in 1998.

How was the drug’s efficacy studied? Vertex conducted two double-blind clinical trials that tested the drug on adults over the age of 18. The studies found that the medicine significantly reduced acute pain after 48 hours was similarly effective as the opioid hydrocodone. The most common side effects of suzetrigine are itching, muscle spasms, increased levels of creatine phosphokinase in the blood, and rash.

Dig deeper: Read my report about the makers of OxyContin settling lawsuits for $7.4 billion.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.