What is the potential role of the nonopioid suzetrigine in pain management?

Effective pain management without the risk of addiction, abuse, or dependence associated with opioids remains a key clinical challenge in patient care. Suzetrigine, a newly approved drug for acute pain management, is a nonopioid with a novel mechanism of action: it selectively targets voltage-gated sodium channels present only on peripheral, pain-sensing nerves. In phase 2 and 3 clinical trials, suzetrigine was found to be more effective for post-abdominoplasty and -bunionectomy pain than placebo and was noninferior to an opioid-acetaminophen combination for pain following abdominoplasty. The drug, which is taken twice daily for up to 14 days postoperatively, has shown no addiction or physical dependence risk to date in either animal or human studies. Suzetrigine expands options for acute pain management, and additional studies that further expanding on the drug's current indication are underway.