FDA Approves First Non-Opioid Pain Pill, As Medical Marijuana Remains A Proven Alternative For Relief
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first new pain reliever to hit the market in over 20 years. This medication, produced by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:VRTX), is a non-opioid and therefore non-addictive. The new drug, suzetrigine, will be sold under the brand name Journavx.
Unlike opioids, Journavx blocks pain signals in the peripheral nervous system, not in the brain, so it does not create the same pleasurable effects usually felt with opioids and which often leads to dependence or addiction.
“A new non-opioid analgesic therapeutic class for acute pain offers an opportunity to mitigate certain risks associated with using an opioid for pain and provides patients with another treatment option,” Dr. Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a press release. “This action and the agency’s designations to expedite the drug’s development and review underscore FDA’s commitment …