Newly FDA approved painkiller hopes to lower addiction

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - At the Metro Drug Coalition in Knoxville, they see addiction walk through the door every day. According to MDC’s Karen Pershing, it oftentimes starts with people who were prescribed opioids for pain relief by a doctor. “Prescription medication can still start that process of addiction,” said Pershing.

In 2016, the Care Act helped give funding to give pharmacies the chance to help create new drugs. A part of that research helped produce Journavx (Suzetrigine, which is a painkiller that’s been developed that claims to not have the same addictive side effects as other opioids that are on the market.

Pershing is hopeful it’ll make an impact in reducing addiction but wants to see the new drug in use before casting a final judgment. “When oxycodone was released, Purdue Pharma told everyone this was the first long-acting nonaddictive medication to treat acute and chronic pain. And it ended up not being true,” said Pershing.

While cautiously optimistic, Pershing said that if the drug is effective, she believes it will be a big help in lowering the risk of addiction and overdoses in East Tennessee and beyond. Pershing said that in its initial rollout, a single Journavx pill costs more than $15, which she’s concerned will make it not affordable for a lot of people.

“Any small steps we can take like this to lessen the possibility of someone becoming addicted is a plus. We’ll hopefully see fewer overdoses and fewer babies being born that are exposed to drugs. All of those trickle-down things that happen when addiction enters into families,” said Pershing.

Journavx was approved by the FDA in January of this year. UT Medical Center wasn’t able to comment yet on if it’s being used and prescribed in the hospital.