FDA Grants Approval for Non-Opioid Alternative for Pain Management

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced its approval for Journavx, a non-opioid alternative “to treat moderate to severe acute pain in adults.” Developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, the drug will be administered in 50 milligram oral tablets and works by targeting pathways in the nervous system addressing pain signals before they reach the brain.

“Today’s approval is an important public health milestone in acute pain management,” said Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, J.D., M.D., acting director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “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.”

The FDA noted it will make efforts to expedite the process to get this drug on the market as soon as possible.

As I have noted previously, there is no one magic bullet that will bring an end to the opioid crisis. Instead we have a seen a comprehensive approach that focuses on prevention, education, access to treatment and long-term recovery that have combined to bring about a near 30 percent reduction in overdose deaths in New Jersey. I look forward to seeing Journavx in our pharmacies and hospitals replacing opioids and thereby preventing individuals from developing an opioid use disorder and reducing overdose deaths even further. 

All the best, 
Angelo M. Valente, Executive Director, PDFNJ

UPCOMING LEARNING SERIES WEBINARS:

2/27/25 @ 11am
"Preventing Opioid Misuse & Addiction"