Non-opioid painkiller Suzetrigine approved

Why in the news?

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved a new type of non-opioid painkiller Suzetrigine.

Features of Suzetrigine:

Drug Name	Suzetrigine
Brand Name	Journavx
Manufacturer	Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Price	$15.50 per pill
Benefits	Pain relief without the risk of addiction

They work to reduce pain.
They are free from the addiction or other harmful effects associated with opioids.
The opioid crisis in the US has been a serious health problem, affecting millions of people.
Non-opioid drugs like Suzetrigine may be a safer alternative.

Opioids are a class of drugs that are naturally or synthetically derived from the opium plant.
- Examples: oxycodone, morphine, codeine, heroin and fentanyl.
They bind to opioid receptors in the brain to reduce pain signals and produce a feeling of pleasure.
Its excessive use leads to addiction, overdose and serious health problems, etc., increasing the opioid crisis.

Thousands of people die every year from excessive use of opioids.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 82,000 deaths occurred in 2022 due to opioid overdose.
According to a BBC report, the US receives 30 times more opioid painkillers than it needs, increasing the problem of addiction and overdose.
US Government Response:
In 2017, US President Donald Trump called the opioid crisis a “national shame” and declared a public health emergency.
In his second term, he has threatened to impose a 25% tariff to stop the smuggling of fentanyl from Canada and Mexico.

Suzetrigine is a new type of non-opioid painkiller.
It blocks the pathway of pain signals before they reach the brain to control pain.
To better understand how it works, we must first understand the process of pain.

Pain Process:

Pain acts as a signal that tells the body that there is potential harm somewhere.
It is sensed by various organs in the body, especially nociceptors, which are spread throughout the body.
When there is damage to a tissue (such as an injury), these receptors are activated.
They send electrical signals through the spinal cord to the brain, which the brain interprets as pain.

After taking Suzetrigine, even if there is tissue injury, the pain signal does not reach the brain, and thus the person does not feel pain.
- Opioid drugs numb the sensation of pain in the brain.
  - While Suzetrigine directly blocks the pain pathway.
- Unlike opioid drugs, which can cause addiction or dependence in users.
  - Suzetrigine does not have any such problem.
The dosage of Suzetrigine is given as a prescription pill of 50 mg, and it is taken every 12 hours.