United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken a major decision regarding the pain medication and the potential addiction due to opioid usage.
As reported by Associated Press, on Thursday, the federal agency approved a new painkiller, which would help in the elimination of medicines associated with overdoes like OxyContin.
The authorisation was given to Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Journavx, which as per FDA can be used for short-term pain after injuries or surgeries.
It’s marks the first time in nearly 20 years that pharma industry has approached the ever-rising issue of opioids addiction and over-the-counter (OTC) medications like ibuprofen.
Opioids reduce pain by shutting off the brain receptors that receives signals from different part of body, while also giving an addictive effect.
As per the study in more than 870 patients with acute pain, Journavx helped in the relief but didn’t outperform a common opioid-acetaminophen combination pill.
The new medicine will be market at $15.50 per pill, making it much more expensive than its opioid associated counterparts.
Vertex’s drug work by blocking proteins that trigger pain signals that are later sent to brain.
Dr. David Altshuler from Vertex shared last year, "In trying to develop medicines that don’t have the addictive risks of opioid medicines, a key factor is working to block pain signalling before it gets to the brain."
The Vertex executives are also continuing their work on the drug with a different trial design that could provide better results in order to get the FDA approval for chronic pain.
