What Pharmacists Need to Know About Suzetrigine for Pain Management
Madison Irwin, PharmD, BCPS, discusses the importance of suzetrigine’s approval in the pain management space and potential challenges or barriers in its adoption.
In January, the FDA approved Vertex’s suzetrigine (Journavx) for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in adult patients.1 The therapy, which is a nonopioid, selective NaV1.8 pain signal inhibitor, is the first new class of medicine approved to treat acute pain in over 20 years.
The approval of suzetrigine was based on data from a phase 3 program that included 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, and a single arm safety and effectiveness study. Data from the program showed treatment with suzetrigine resulted in statistically significant improvement in pain intensity and that the therapy had a favorable safety and tolerability profile.
At the time of the approval, Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, JD, MD, acting director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said suzetrigine’s approval was an important public health milestone in the management of acute pain.2 She added that the new therapy gives patients another treatment option that can help mitigate certain risks associated with using opioids.
Drug Topics sat down with Madison Irwin, PharmD, BCPS, a clinical pharmacist specialist in palliative care at University of Michigan Health and a clinical assistant professor at University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, to discuss the importance of suzetrigine’s approval in the pain management space, potential challenges or barriers in the adoption of suzetrigine, and important things about suzetrigine that pharmacists should be aware of.
“It’s exciting to have another analgesic option available in the acute pain space,” Irwin said. “Right now, we have acetaminophen, NSAIDs, opioids and local anesthetics like lidocaine. Each of those have their own risks and limitations of use based on a patients renal and hepatic function and other comorbidities. This expands that arsenal. It seems to be pretty well tolerated and that is always good to see in terms of a side effect and safety profile.”
