US regulators approve new non-opioid drug to treat acute pain

Oral drug from Vertex, branded as Journavx, represents alternative to addictive opioids that have fueled US crisis

The US Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug to treat acute pain, the health regulator said on Thursday, offering a first-of-its-kind alternative to addictive opioid painkillers that have fueled a national crisis.

The Vertex Pharmaceuticals oral drug, branded Journavx, works by blocking pain signals at their source, unlike opioids, which trigger the brain's reward centers as they travel through the blood and then attach to neural receptors, leading to addiction and abuse.