28 Apr Vertex Presents New Data: JOURNAVX® as Part of Multimodal Therapy Reduces Opioid Use After Laparoscopic and Arthroscopic Procedures

MedicalResearch.com Interview with a VERTEX Spokesperson discussing suzetrigine (JOURNAVX®), a first-in-class non-opioid pain signal inhibitor, and new Phase 4 data presented at the 2026 Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine meeting.

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: There is a critical need for effective, safe non-opioid analgesics to help manage pain and reduce reliance on opioids. Despite significant safety and tolerability concerns such as addiction, opioid use disorder (OUD) and gastrointestinal side effects, opioids remain a common approach for managing moderate-to-severe acute pain.

Our recent phase 4, single-arm study assessing suzetrigine in patients who underwent arthroscopic orthopedic procedures or laparoscopic abdominal or gynecological procedures highlighted the transformative potential for suzetrigine to be used as part of an opioid-free multimodal therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe acute pain. JOURNAVX® (suzetrigine) is a first-in-class, prescription non-opioid pain signal inhibitor for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain, including postoperative pain, in adults. It works by selectively inhibiting the NaV1.8 sodium channel on peripheral nociceptors and, therefore, is not believed to have the addiction potential and tolerability issues associated with centrally acting opioids.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: Suzetrigine demonstrated highly effective pain management and enabled opioid-free recovery for most participants (76.1%) when initiated preoperatively as part of multimodal therapy (MMT) after a variety of laparoscopic and arthroscopic procedures for which opioids are commonly used postoperatively for pain management. In contrast, in the literature, less than 50% of patients who had similar surgical procedures were rescue-opioid-free. Moreover, 90.9% of participants rated their pain control with suzetrigine as part of a multimodal therapy as good, very good or excellent.

MedicalResearch.com: What is the usual pain protocol that suzetrigine may be able to replace?

Response: For decades, patients experiencing acute pain were limited to NSAIDs or opioids, which created a gap for patients and clinicians seeking effective pain relief without the risk of addiction. JOURNAVX (suzetrigine) was developed to fill this gap – it is a first-in-class, prescription non-opioid pain signal inhibitor for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain, in adults.

MedicalResearch.com: Are there any potential side effects, i.e., allergies or cross reactions noted?

Response: In this study, suzetrigine was found to be generally safe and well-tolerated with no serious adverse events reported that were related to the drug. The adverse events that did occur were mild or moderate in severity and consistent with the postoperative setting. As with any medication, it is important for patients to talk to their doctor about what’s right for them.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: By enabling opioid-free recovery for most participants in this study, we believe suzetrigine has the potential to redefine pain management across broad clinical settings.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: Suzetrigine represents a significant advancement in acute pain management. Beyond acute pain, our next priority is diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). We are currently conducting two Phase 3 studies with suzetrigine for the treatment of DPN, which remain on track to complete enrollment by the end of this year.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: This study is a promising addition to our growing body of evidence supporting suzetrigine as the first and only pain signal inhibitor offering a proven non-opioid medicine to treat moderate-to-severe acute pain in adults. The findings build on additional Phase 4 data presented last month, which demonstrated that more than 90% of patients remained opioid-free after aesthetic and reconstructive procedures when treated with JOURNAVX as part of multimodal therapy. Together, the studies add to the growing evidence supporting JOURNAVX as a potential opioid-sparing option in postoperative pain management. To learn more please visit: www.JOURNAVX.com.

Author Disclosures: Ashraf Habib has reported grants or contracts from Vertex and Pacira Biosciences. Scott Weiner has reported consulting fees from Vertex and Cessation Therapeutics. William Bortcosh, Lanju Zhang, Jaideep Mehta, Darin Correll, and Richard Scranton are employees of Vertex and may hold stock/stock options in the company. Daneshvari Solanki, Jeremy Hoff, Dominick D’Aunno, George Konis, and Jeffrey Moore have nothing to disclose.

Citation:
Suzetrigine as Part of Multimodal Therapy Enables Opioid-Free Recovery After Laparoscopic or Arthroscopic Procedure
Presented at the 2026 Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine
https://news.vrtx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/vertex-present-new-data-journavxr-demonstrates-effective-pain

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Last Updated on April 28, 2026 by Marie Benz MD FAAD