Health
New Pain Drug Gets FDA Nod as Safer Alternative to Addictive Opioids
- Medication is first new type of painkiller in over two decades
- Analysts have questioned the drug’s commercial potential
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Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. gained US approval for the first new type of painkiller in more than two decades, paving the way for a safer alternative to addictive opioids that have been linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Vertex’s pill, called Journavx, gained Food and Drug Administration clearance to treat moderate-to-severe acute pain, according to a statement Thursday. The wholesale acquisition cost for the twice-daily medicine is set at $15.50 per 50 milligram tablet, Vertex said. Its shares rose 0.4% after US markets closed.