FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction

Vertex Pharmaceuticals office in Boston

(Image credit: Erin Clark / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

published 31 January 2025

What happened

The Food and Drug Administration Thursday approved a new class of pain pill that is not addictive like opioids. Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, is the first new pharmaceutical treatment for pain to win FDA approval in more than 20 years.

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Journavx was approved to treat acute pain in adults. But at a list price of $15.50 a pill, it "faces some hurdles in winning over physicians, hospitals and insurance companies," The Washington Post said. The new painkiller is promising because "there are a number of people who, once they have an opioid, want an opioid constantly," University of Washington pain expert Dr. John Loeser said to The New York Times. But acetaminophen-opioid pills are "dirt cheap."

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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.