Suzetrigine: a novel medication for pain relief
Pain relief is an important therapeutic goal when there is tissue injury, such as trauma or surgery. Opioid or non-opioid analgesics are usually used to relieve acute pain in such cases.
These analgesics act by mechanisms not specific to pain sensation and have many side effects because they affect other targets and organs.
Suzetrigine is a new medication approved for medical use in the United States in January 2025. It has demonstrated clinical efficacy and safety in multiple acute pain studies also being evaluated in neuropathic pain.
Suzetrigine acts by selective inhibition of NaV1.8 pain signal transmission in human peripheral pain-sensing neurons. The lack of addictive potential associated with the highly selective NaV1.8 inhibition is due to the absence of NaV1.8 expression in the CNS.
Suzetrigine (JOURNAVX™) comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is taken every 12 hours (twice a day). First dose is taken on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after eating food. After the first dose, suzetrigine is taken with or without food. Safety and efficacy are not established in pediatrics.