New York, Feb 1 (IANS) US federal officials have 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 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Thursday it approved Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Journavx for short-term pain that often follows surgery or injuries, Xinhua news agency reported.
Journavx (suzetrigine) 50 milligram oral tablets, is the first drug to be approved in this new class of pain management medicines.
“Today’s approval is an important public health milestone in acute pain management,” said Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, acting director of the US FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
“A new non-opioid analgesic therapeutic class for acute pain offers an opportunity to mitigate certain risks associated with using an opioid for pain and provides patients with another treatment option. This action and the agency’s designations to expedite the drug’s development and review underscore FDA’s commitment to approving safe and effective alternatives to opioids for pain management,” Corrigan-Curay said.
Journavx reduces pain by targeting a pain-signaling pathway involving sodium channels in the peripheral nervous system before pain signals reach the brain. But the medication’s modest effectiveness and lengthy development process underscore the challenges of finding new ways to manage pain, it noted.
Studies in more than 870 patients with acute pain due to foot and abdominal surgeries showed Vertex’s drug provided more relief than a dummy pill but didn’t outperform a common opioid-acetaminophen combination pill, it added.
The most common adverse reactions in study participants who received Journavx were itching, muscle spasms, increased blood levels of creatine phosphokinase, and rash.
Journavx is contraindicated for concomitant use with strong CYP3A inhibitors. In addition, patients should avoid food or drink containing grapefruit when taking Journavx.
–IANS
rvt/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
