A US FDA-approved drug called suzetrigine, also known as Journavx, will soon make millions of people with access to a potent but safer alternative to opioids. The painkiller works by selectively blocking sodium channels on pain-sensing nerve cells, delivering opioid-level pain suppression without the risks of addiction, sedation, or overdose. Specialists hail this as a breakthrough in reducing opioid dependency, and developers see it as validation for targeting sodium channels – a strategy that has long defied the pharmaceutical industry’s best efforts.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00274-1