The new non-opioid drug has been approved for the treatment of severe pain, such as that following surgery or an injury.

The prescription pills, sold under the brand name Journavx and made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, are taken twice a day and represent the first new class of pain medications in 20 years—and the first non-opioid painkiller since that class first appeared on the market in the 1980s.

Vertex has attracted interest from Wall Street for its ambitious drug pipeline that involves winning FDA approval for multiple drugs across several forms of chronic pain, which generally represents a bigger financial opportunity than acute pain.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Thursday a new type of prescription pain medication for moderate to severe acute pain for adults.

The Food and Drug Administration Jan. 30 announced it approved Journavx (suzetrigine) oral tablets, a first-in-class non-opioid drug, to treat moderate to severe acute pain in adults.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a first-of-its-kind non-opioid pain medication, providing a new option for adults experiencing moderate to severe acute pain.Journavx received FDA approval,

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.

The drug, shown to be almost as effective as opioids for short-term pain, is the first fundamentally new kind of painkiller to win FDA approval in more than 20 years.

The drug developed by Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals blocks sodium channels in the peripheral nervous system, preventing pain signals from reaching the brain.The approval marks the first new class of pain medicine in more than two decades and offers a potential non-addictive alternative to opioids.

Federal officials have approved new pain medication Journavx, designed to offer short-term pain relief without the addiction and overdose risks associated with opioids like Vicodin and OxyContin. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the drug for use after surgery or injury,

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new pain pill called Journavx, designed to mitigate the risks of addiction and overdose associated with opioid medications like Vicodin and OxyContin.