FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction

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.

Who said what

Opioids work by binding to receptors in the brain that receive pain signals from nerves around the body, but "those chemical interactions also give rise to opioids' addictive effects," The Associated Press said. But while prescription opioids have helped fuel an epidemic of addiction and overdoses, suzetrigine "works differently," intercepting pain signals before they reach the brain.

In two clinical trials submitted by Vertex, suzetrigine was more effective than a placebo at treating short-term pain in people recovering from stomach and foot surgery, and on par with a combined acetaminophen-hydrocodone pill, like Vicodin.

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What next?

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."