The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a new type of nonopioid painkiller from Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
The drug, Journavx, or suzetrigine, was approved to treat moderate to severe acute, or short-term, pain in adults.
During the process, the brain also floods with the neurotransmitter dopamine, creating feelings of euphoria and activating the brain’s reward system.
Vertex’s drug 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.
In another phase 3 study, patients taking suzetrigine for either surgery or acute pain rated how well they thought it worked.
Pain experts said the drug holds promise as an option for people who can't take opioids or NSAIDs for acute pain. »