Acute pain is often caused by an event such as injury or surgery and usually lasts less than 3 months1-3
Prevalence
How many people experience acute pain?
Approximately 80 million adults are affected by acute pain in the US annually1,a
Among patients who experience postsurgical pain, approximately two out of every three describe it as moderate to severe4,b
Poorly managed acute pain can have far-reaching consequences.5-7
aIn a 2019 retrospective cross-sectional study, approximately 80M US adults experience acute pain requiring treatment with prescription medicine each year.1
bBased on a 2014 survey of 300 randomly selected US adults who had undergone surgery within the last 5 years from the survey date. Among the patients who experienced postsurgical pain (n=257), 194 described it as moderate, severe, or extreme.4
ABOUT PAIN TRANSMISSION
There are 9 NaV subtypes, each with distinct expression patterns throughout the body.8
NaV1.3 is expressed during embryonic development; its expression decreases shortly after birth.10
NaV1.3 is expressed during embryonic development; its expression decreases shortly after birth.10
NaV1.3 is expressed during embryonic development; its expression decreases shortly after birth.10
No new treatment class indicated for moderate-to-severe acute pain in the past 20 years11
No new treatment class indicated for moderate-to-severe pain in the past 20 years11
No new treatment class indicated for moderate-to-severe acute pain in the past 20 years11
References: 1. Lopez A, Jones J, Menzie AM, Peta S, Ippolito A, Rubin J. An evaluation of the prevalence of acute and chronic pain medication use in the United States: a real-world database analysis. Presented at: ASRA Annual Pain Medicine Meeting; November 10-11, 2023; New Orleans, LA. 2. International Association for the Study of Pain. Pain management center – chapter 1: the need for multidisciplinary pain management centers. Accessed March 1, 2025. https://www.iasp-pain.org/resources/toolkits/pain-management-center/chapter1/ 3. Banerjee S, Argáez C. Multidisciplinary treatment programs for patients with acute or subacute pain: a review of clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and guidelines. Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health; 2019. Accessed March 1, 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546002/ 4. Gan TJ, Habib AS, Miller TE, White W, Apfelbaum JL. Incidence, patient satisfaction, and perceptions of post-surgical pain: results from a US national survey. Curr Med Res Opin. 2014;30(1):149-160. doi:10.1185/03007995.2013.860019 5. Gan TJ. Poorly controlled postoperative pain: prevalence, consequences, and prevention. J Pain Res. 2017;10:2287-2298. doi:10.2147/JPR.S144066 6. Sinatra R. Causes and consequences of inadequate management of acute pain. Pain Med. 2010;11(12):1859-1871. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4637.2010.00983.x 7. Dasa V, Garcia E, Keating S. Patient perceptions of and experiences with inadequate post-surgical acute pain management: a qualitative assessment. Poster presented at: ASRA Pain Medicine Meeting; November 10-11, 2023; New Orleans, LA. 8. England S. Voltage-gated sodium channels: the search for subtype-selective analgesics. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2008;17(12):1849-1864. 9. Waxman SG. Targeting a peripheral sodium channel to treat pain. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(5):466-469. doi:10.1056/NEJMe2305708. 10. Bennet DL, Clark AJ, Huang J, Waxman SG, Dib-Hajj SD. The role of voltage-gated sodium channels in pain signaling. Physiol Rev. 2019;99(2):1079-1151. doi:10.1152/physrev.00052.2017 11. Thomas D. Pain and addiction therapeutics. The State of Innovation in Highly Prevalent Chronic Diseases. Accessed March 1, 2025. https://go.bio.org/rs/490-EHZ-999/images/BIO_HPCP_Series-Pain_Addiction_2018-02-08.pdf
INDICATION
JOURNAVX is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain in adults.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Concomitant use of JOURNAVX with strong CYP3A inhibitors is contraindicated.
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
INDICATION
JOURNAVX is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain in adults.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Concomitant use of JOURNAVX with strong CYP3A inhibitors is contraindicated.
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
Increased Risk of Adverse Reactions With Concomitant Use With Strong and Moderate CYP3A Inhibitors: Strong and moderate CYP3A inhibitors increase suzetrigine and its active metabolite exposures, which may cause adverse reactions with JOURNAVX.
Risk of Drug Interactions With Certain CYP3A Substrates: Suzetrigine is an inducer of CYP3A. If JOURNAVX is used concomitantly with sensitive CYP3A substrates or CYP3A substrates where minimal concentration changes may lead to loss of efficacy, refer to the Prescribing Information for the CYP3A substrates for dosing instructions. Dosage adjustment of the concomitant CYP3A substrates may be required when initiating or discontinuing JOURNAVX.
Risk of Drug Interactions With Certain Hormonal Contraceptives: Patients treated with JOURNAVX who are taking concomitant hormonal contraceptives containing progestins other than levonorgestrel and norethindrone should use additional nonhormonal contraceptives (such as condoms) or use alternative contraceptives during JOURNAVX treatment and for 28 days after discontinuation of JOURNAVX.
Risk of Adverse Reactions in Patients With Moderate and Severe Hepatic Impairment: Patients with moderate hepatic impairment have higher systemic exposures of suzetrigine and its active metabolite than those with normal hepatic function, which may increase the risk of JOURNAVX-related adverse reactions.
ADVERSE REACTIONS
Pooled adverse reactions from Trials 1 and 2 that occurred in ≥1% of patients treated with JOURNAVX and at a greater rate than patients treated with placebo were pruritus, muscle spasms, increased blood creatine phosphokinase, and rash. The safety profile of JOURNAVX in Trial 3 was consistent with that observed in Trials 1 and 2.
DRUG INTERACTIONS
Effect of Other Drugs on JOURNAVX
CYP3A Inhibitors: A reduced dose is recommended when coadministered with moderate CYP3A inhibitors. Avoid food or drink containing grapefruit.
Strong and Moderate CYP3A Inducers: Avoid concomitant use of JOURNAVX with strong and moderate CYP3A inducers. Concomitant use of strong or moderate CYP3A inducers results in reduced exposures of suzetrigine and its active metabolite, which may result in reduced JOURNAVX efficacy.
Effect of JOURNAVX on Other Drugs
CYP3A Substrates: Dose adjustment of the concomitant CYP3A substrates may be required when initiating or discontinuing JOURNAVX. Discontinuation of JOURNAVX may increase the exposure of sensitive CYP3A substrates.
USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS
Pregnancy
There are no available data on the use of JOURNAVX during pregnancy to evaluate for a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage, or other adverse maternal or fetal outcomes.
Lactation
There are no data on the presence of suzetrigine or its metabolites in human milk, the effects on the breastfed infant, or the effects on milk production. The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for JOURNAVX and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed child from JOURNAVX or from the underlying maternal condition.
Infertility
JOURNAVX may reversibly impact the likelihood of females of reproductive potential to become pregnant while on treatment. Patients using contraceptives should continue to use contraceptives.
Geriatric Use
Based on population pharmacokinetic analyses in patients with ages ranging from 18 to 75 years, age does not have a clinically relevant impact on suzetrigine exposure.
Hepatic Impairment
The recommended JOURNAVX dosage is lower in patients with moderate hepatic impairment (Child‑Pugh Class B) than those with normal hepatic function. Avoid use of JOURNAVX in patients with severe hepatic impairment (Child‑Pugh Class C).
Renal Impairment
Avoid use of JOURNAVX in patients with renal impairment of eGFR <15 mL/min.
Please see full Prescribing Information for JOURNAVX.