THE FIRST NON-OPIOID PAINKILLER

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

The FDA approved Vertex Pharmaceuticals' Journavx (suzetrigine), the first non-opioid pain reliever suitable for treating post-surgery pain, in January. Clinical trials found that patients didn't show any of the problematic side effects associated with opioids. Unlike opioids, Journavx doesn't meaningfully interact with the brain - it instead targets a specific sodium ion channel found almost exclusively on peripheral nociceptors (pain-sensing neurons), blocking them from sending pain signals to the brain. The drug is a product of 27 years of research and billions of dollars.