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Will the New Non-Addictive Painkiller Journavx Replace Opioids?

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2 days ago

February 3, 2025

A glass building with 'Vertex' on the outside glows red in the sunset.

Northeastern ache and habit skilled Ganesh A. Thakur explains what Journavx means for victims of acute and persistent ache.

Boston-based Vertex Prescription drugs developed Journavx, a non-addictive remedy for individuals with average to extreme acute ache. AP Photograph/Invoice Sikes

A novel painkiller authorised Thursday by the FDA guarantees to alleviate post-surgical struggling whereas avoiding the addictive qualities of opioid medicines.

Boston-based Vertex Prescription drugs, which developed the oral remedy known as Journavx for individuals with average to extreme acute ache, says it’s “the primary new class of ache medication authorised in additional than 20 years.”

It’s a huge step in growing painkillers with out the chance of habit, says Ganesh A. Thakur, chair of Northeastern’s Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“That is undoubtedly a serious development in ache administration as a result of this can be a first of its sort,” says Thakur, who has labored in ache and habit analysis for 20 years.

“This can be a very highly effective compound that works on acute ache,” he says, defining acute as short-term situations akin to post-surgical ache.

Journavx works by blocking ache alerts within the peripheral nervous system earlier than they attain the mind, in contrast to opioids. Opioid medicines akin to Vicodin and OxyContin work on receptors within the mind and find yourself triggering highly effective reward methods.

Thakur calls Journavx “a novel compound with a novel mechanism of motion.”

“Opioids block the mind’s notion of ache, whereas this compound blocks the transmission of the ache on the preliminary web site of the harm,” he says. “So the harm is there, however the ache doesn’t attain the mind.”

Ganeshsingh Thakur standing in a dimly lit doorway. — Professor and chair of Northeastern’s Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences Ganesh Thakur says the event of Journavx is a “huge step.” Photograph by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern College

Also referred to as suzetrigine, Journavx is a category of recent drug known as a sodium channel blocker.

Consider a automotive being blocked from coming into a freeway, Thakur says. “That’s your sodium channel blocker. It doesn’t let the ache sign undergo to the freeway.”

“With opioids, the automotive will get onto the freeway and retains shifting as a result of the sensation of ache has been eased,” he says. “Opioids work on the mind’s ‘toll sales space.’ They don’t cease the vehicles (ache alerts) from shifting however attempt to make you ‘care much less’ about ache. “There’s an altered notion on the mind stage.”

Scientific information collected on tons of of Journavx sufferers confirmed no proof of withdrawal or drug-seeking behaviors, Thakur says, including that extra details about the drug will likely be identified as soon as it’s clinically prescribed.

The FDA says the efficacy of Journavx was evaluated in two randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled trials of acute ache, one involving belly surgical procedure and the opposite bunionectomy.

“Each trials demonstrated a statistically vital superior discount in ache with Journavx, in comparison with placebo,” the FDA says.

The commonest negative effects have been itching, muscle spasms, rashes and liver points, Thakur says.

Some physicians worry the comparatively excessive worth of Journavx — $15.50 per capsule, in comparison with about $1 for an OxyContin HCI pill — will discourage insurers from overlaying the brand new remedy.

Price is a matter, Thakur says. However he says he expects insurers to be motivated to scale back the usage of opioid remedies each due to negative effects akin to constipation and respiratory despair but additionally as a result of position they play in habit and overdoses.

“Drug overdoses are linked to the usage of fentanyl and abuse compounds, which has origins within the opioids market” of the late twentieth century, Thakur says.

“I might say this isn’t going to take out opioids from the market utterly,” he says. For starters, Journavx has but to point out proof of decreasing persistent ache or the extreme ache related to late stage cancers.

However “it’s a giant step,” Thakur says. “Folks have been speaking about sodium channel innovators for a very long time. It’s a billion greenback loss while you attempt to develop medicine, take it to superior levels and so they fail. I’m very completely satisfied to see that Vertex did a tremendous job in advancing this compound.”