10 Jun Vertex and ixlayer Launch Informed Pain Care: A Direct-to-Patient Telehealth Platform for Non-Opioid Acute Pain Treatment
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Vertex Spokesperson
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
Boston, Massachusetts
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this announcement?
Response: Patients experiencing acute pain often face delays, fragmented care pathways and limited awareness of non-opioid treatment options. To help close those gaps, Vertex partnered with digital health leader ixlayer to launch Informed Pain Care. It is a direct-to-patient telehealth platform designed to expand access to independent, clinician-led evaluation and treatment pathways for patients experiencing acute pain.
MedicalResearch.com: Would you describe how JOURNAVX (suzetrigine) differs from other pain medications?
Response: JOURNAVX® (suzetrigine) is the first and only non-opioid pain signal inhibitor for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain, in adults — representing the first new class of acute pain medicines in over two decades. JOURNAVX specifically inhibits NaV1.8, a voltage-gated sodium channel selectively expressed in peripheral pain-sensing neurons. This allows it to block pain at its source in the peripheral nervous system without acting on the central nervous system.
MedicalResearch.com: How does this program expand access to non-opioid treatment options for pain management?
Response: Informed Pain Care provides independent telehealth evaluations for eligible nonsurgical acute pain patients and connects them directly with licensed, third-party healthcare professionals who provide clinically appropriate care, from evaluation to treatment, when needed. Through the platform, patients undergo symptom-based intake, eligibility screening and clinical evaluation via telehealth. When clinically appropriate, healthcare providers can prescribe non-opioid treatment options.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid misuse and overdose remain a significant public health crisis in the United States, making the availability of effective non-opioid alternatives for acute pain management an urgent clinical and policy priority.
MedicalResearch.com: Are there telehealth insurance hurdles to overcome?
Response: Patients using Informed Pain Care includes the following virtual care and telehealth components:
● Licensed clinical evaluation via telehealth
● Symptom-based intake and eligibility screening
● Access to non-opioid treatment options when clinically appropriate
● Flexible pharmacy fulfillment, including local pickup or delivery
● Insurance and self-pay pathways for accessibility
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? How can they or their providers access the program?
Response: Vertex is proud to have partnered with ixlayer to build and launch our first direct-to-patient telehealth platform, Informed Pain Care. This platform provides independent telehealth evaluations for eligible nonsurgical acute pain patients, reflecting our commitment to ensuring access to innovative non-opioid medicines.
For more on non-opioid pain management research and treatment advances, see MedicalResearch.com’s pain management research coverage.
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Last Updated on June 10, 2026 by Marie Benz MD FAAD