FDA approves groundbreaking painkiller 'Suzetrigine' after 15 years

The US food and Drug Administration has finally announced approving a pain killer, after 15 years.

The drug , named 'Suzetrigine' will be allowed to be sold in the market with the name of Journavx.

Moreover, the acting director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Dr. Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay shared: “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."

“This action and the agency’s designations to expedite the drug’s development and review underscore FDA’s commitment to approving safe and effective alternatives to opioids for pain management.”

Around 80 million Americans get prescribed with analgesics, or medications that control pain, which can lead to addiction and dependence, as per the Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the company that developed the new drug. .

For the unknown,  Suzetrigine is the first new painkiller approved in the US since Celebrex, a type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug called a Cox-2 inhibitor, which was approved in 1998.

Moreover,  Suzetrigine creates no euphoria or high like opioids sometimes can, so doctors believe there’s no potential for it to create addiction or dependence in people who use it.