Is Suzetrigine the miracle pain pill we've been waiting for?
The recent headlines are hyping it up, but after digging into the data, I see there is more to the story.
After the recent FDA approval, I've seen news stories like these:
▶ US drug agency approves potent painkiller — the first non-opioid in decades (Nature)
▶ FDA's approval of non-opioid pain pill could be game-changer (CBS Evening news)
▶ FDA approves new nonopioid pain medication, hailed a 'triumph' (cen.acs.org)
▶ Can this new drug promise pain relief without peril? (Northwestern)
It's easy to see how these headlines got people's hopes up. But can it truly help most people with pain?
How Suzetrigine works
Technical Explanation:
It's a selective blocker of the NaV1.8 voltage-gated sodium channel.
Simple Explanation:
Our nerves have tiny sensors that detect danger in the body.
When something harmful happens (like a cut or burn), these sensors send an alert to the brain (and we feel pain).
Suzetrigine acts like a switch that turns off these specific danger detecting nerve sensors, while keeping the other nerve sensors working fine.
So it can potentially relieve pain while you function fine without side effects (like numbness, drowsiness, or mental fogginess).
Can Suzetrigine help for YOUR pain?
Not all pain is the same, even if it feels identical. Different pain types have different biological causes, which means a drug that works for one may fail for another.
When evaluating Suzetrigine, we need to ask: What kind of pain does it actually work for?
Post-surgical pain: The data so far
Many post-surgical patients rely on opioids, which can be effective but come with serious risks like addiction, dependency, and side effects. Suzetrigine was studied as a possible alternative.
The trials: Researchers tested Suzetrigine for pain relief after two common surgeries:
Abdominoplasty (Tummy tuck) – A procedure to remove excess skin and fat for a firmer
Bunionectomy – Surgery to remove a painful bump at the base of the big toe.
The results
✔ It relieved pain better than placebo.
✔ It worked similarly to opioids but with fewer side effects and risks.
✔ On average, it took 1.5 to 4 hours to reduce pain by 2 points on a 0–10 pain scale.
✔ It’s not a pain eliminator, but it reduces pain by a few points on a standard scale.
What we don't know
❓ How many people actually benefit? (1 in 2? 1 in 3? The study didn’t say.)
❓ Does it improve physical function? (E.g., movement, daily activities.)
❓ Does it help mental well-being? (E.g., anxiety, emotional distress.)
❓ Are there long-term risks? (Especially in certain populations.)
Summary for post-surgical pain:
Suzetrigine is a promising non-opioid pain medication for post-surgical pain, potentially as effective as opioids but safer. But more research is needed to fully understand its impact, safety, and long-term risks.
What about other kinds of pain?
The big question:
Most people suffering from ongoing pain aren’t dealing with post-surgical pain. They have persistent back pain, fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, arthritis, and other ongoing pain conditions.
What does the data say for those kinds of pain? Nothing. There’s no evidence that Suzetrigine helps ongoing pain conditions aside from immediate post surgical pain.
The drug company (Vertex) conducted one study for people who had sciatica pain for more than 3 months, and the results showed that the drug did not perform better than placebo.
The bottom line
Suzetrigine may be a valuable new option for post-surgical pain. But unfortunately, for most other kinds of pain, this doesn’t seem to be the breakthrough drug we’ve been hoping for.