The drug, suzetrigine, made by Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals and to be sold as Journavx, works only on nerves outside the brain, blocking pain signals. It cannot get into the brain. The post FDA approves drug from Boston-based company to treat pain without opioid effects appeared first on Boston.

Federal officials on Thursday approved a new type of pain pill designed to eliminate the risks of addiction and overdose associated with opioid medications like Vicodin and OxyContin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it approved Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Journavx for short-term pain that often follows surgery or injuries.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new non-opioid pain medication developed by the Massachusetts-based company Vertex Pharmaceuticals on Thursday. The drug, which is called suzetrigine and will be sold under the brand name Journavx, is the first new type of pain medicine approved by the agency in more than 20 years.

Despite high demand for an option like Journavx, doctors fear the drug’s price could be a hangup for insurers and limit patients’ ability to access it.

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. surged ahead of Friday’s market open after the Food and Drug Administration approved the company’s non-opioid pain treatment.

U.S.-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) has secured approval from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for its long-awaited non-opioid

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Vertex Pharmaceuticals' 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.