Pain

Pharmaceutical prescription pain treatments have not evolved for over 20 years for moderate to severe types of pain, with opioids the major prescribed medicine. In the United States, a new FDA approved drug , suzetrigine, trade named “Journavx”, by Vertex Pharmaceuticals has the promise of providing major pain relief without the addictive nature of opioids. This is a significant advance in pain relief medicine and potentially signals a huge cultural change for the better.

“Journavx” works by blocking nerve pain signals throughout the body, whereas, opioids work by dulling the sensation of pain within the brain. The societal reverberation is significant, as the new drug is said not to be addictive, which would eliminate the need for addictive opioids. Time will tell just how effective “Journavx” really is in reducing moderate to major pain, and while it seems to be non-addictive, we will see whether this is the case over the long term. However, this breakthrough holds the promise of being the safer, new answer to pain relief.