The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first-ever non-opioid pain reliever in more than two decades.
According to Health Day, the FDA approved the new painkiller Journavx without the risk of overdose or addiction that previous drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin had. The new pill developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals is designed to provide short-term pain relief after surgery or an injury.
The acting director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Dr. Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, said in a news release, “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 the FDA’s commitment to approving safe and effective alternatives to opioids for pain management,” he continued.
Moreover, during the study, more than 870 patients were given Journavx after foot and abdominal surgery. The researchers found that the pill helped with pain more than a placebo but was not helpful like a common opioid-acetaminophen combination pill.
Dr. David Altshuler, Vertex’s executive vice president, told Associated Press, “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.”
Studies revealed that the new pill works uniquely without affecting the brain like opioids, which block pain signals before reaching the brain, often leading to dependence and addiction.
