MECHANISMS, EFFICACY, AND SAFETY OF SUZETRIGINE COMPARED WITH OTHER ANALGESICS IN ACUTE PAIN MANAGEMENT
Abstract
This review aims to compare the mechanisms of action, efficacy, and safety profiles of suzetrigine with established analgesic classes, including Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids, in the management of acute pain. The objective is to assess whether suzetrigine offers clinical advantages over traditional therapies and to define its potential role in modern multimodal pain strategies.
References
Aw, T. J., Haas, S. J., Liew, D., & Krum, H. (2005). Meta-analysis of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and their effects on blood pressure. Arch Intern Med, 165(5), 490–496. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.165.5.IOI50013
Bertoch, T., D’Aunno, D., McCoun, J., et al. (2024). Randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trials of suzetrigine, a non-opioid, pain signal inhibitor for treatment of acute pain after abdominoplasty or bunionectomy. In American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting (Presentation A1187).
Bindu, S., Mazumder, S., & Bandyopadhyay, U. (2020). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and organ damage: A current perspective. Biochem Pharmacol, 180, 114147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114147
Borer, J. S., & Simon, L. S. (2005). Cardiovascular and gastrointestinal effects of COX-2 inhibitors and NSAIDs: Achieving a balance. Arthritis Res Ther, 7(Suppl 4), S14–S22. https://doi.org/10.1186/ar1794
Bovill, J. G. (1997). Mechanisms of actions of opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Eur J Anaesthesiol Suppl, 15, 9–15. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003643-199705001-00003
Catterall, W. A. (2012). Voltage-gated sodium channels at 60: Structure, function and pathophysiology. J Physiol, 590(11), 2577–2589. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2011.224204
Cooper, S. A., Desjardins, P., Brain, P., Paredes-Diaz, A., Troullos, E., Centofanti, R., et al. (2019). Longer analgesic effect with naproxen sodium than ibuprofen in post-surgical dental pain: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dose trial. Curr Med Res Opin, 35(12), 2149–2158. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007995.2019.1655257
Díaz-González, F., & Sánchez-Madrid, F. (2015). NSAIDs: Learning new tricks from old drugs. Eur J Immunol, 45(3), 679–686. https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.201445222
Dixit, M., Doan, T., Kirschner, R., & Dixit, N. (2010). Significant acute kidney injury due to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Inpatient setting. Pharmaceuticals (Basel), 3(4), 1279–1285. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph3041279
Ghlichloo, I., & Gerriets, V. (2025). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In StatPearls. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing. (Updated 2023 May 1).
Hu, S., Lyu, D., & Gao, J. (2025). Suzetrigine: The first NaV1.8 inhibitor approved for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain. Drug Discov Ther, 19(1), 10–13. https://doi.org/10.5582/ddt.2025.01010
Jones, J., Correll, D. J., Lechner, S. M., Jazic, I, Miao, X., Shaw, D., et al. (2023). Selective inhibition of NaV1.8 with VX-548 for acute pain. N Engl J Med, 389(5), 393–405. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2209870
Jones, M., Demery, A., & Al-Horani, R. A. (2025). Suzetrigine: A novel non-opioid analgesic for acute pain management—A review. Drugs Drug Candidates, 4(3), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/ddc4030032
Kalso, E., Edwards, J., Moore, R., & McQuay, H. (2004). Opioids in chronic non-cancer pain: Systematic review of efficacy and safety. Pain, 112, 372–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2004.09.019
Kent, M. L., Tighe, P. J., Woolf, C. J., Brennan, T. J., Werner, M. U., Hoke, A., et al. (2017). The ACTTION–APS–AAPM Pain Taxonomy (AAAPT) multidimensional approach to classifying acute pain conditions. J Pain, 18(5), 479–489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2016.12.015
Kim, Y. E., Park, S. Y., Lee, J. S., et al. (2025). Renal safety of long-term non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Sci Rep, 15, 21066. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07146-8
Liu, X., Wang, X., Zhao, W., et al. (2018). A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of acute postoperative pain treatment using opioid analgesics with intravenous ibuprofen after radical cervical cancer surgery. Sci Rep, 8, 10161. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-28428-4
Loeser, J. D., & Treede, R. D. (1999). Pain: An overview. Lancet, 353(9164), 1607–1609. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(99)01311-2
McCoun, J., Winkle, P., Solanki, D., et al. (2024). A phase 3, single-arm study of suzetrigine, a non-opioid, pain signal inhibitor for treatment of acute pain from surgical and non-surgical conditions. In American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting (Presentation A2074; Poster 74).
McCoun, J., Winkle, P., Solanki, D., Urban, J., Bertoch, T., Oswald, J., et al. (2025). Suzetrigine, a non-opioid NaV1.8 inhibitor with broad applicability for moderate-to-severe acute pain: A phase 3 single-arm study for surgical or non-surgical acute pain. J Pain Res, 18, 1569–1576. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S509144
Moore, R. A., & McQuay, H. J. (2005). Prevalence of opioid adverse events in chronic non-malignant pain: Systematic review of randomised trials of oral opioids. Arthritis Res Ther, 7, R1046–R1051. https://doi.org/10.1186/ar1782
Nalamachu, S. (2013). An overview of pain management: The clinical efficacy and value of treatment. Am J Manag Care, 19(14 Suppl), S261–S266.
Osteen, J. D., Immani, S., Tapley, T. L., Indersmitten, T., Hurst, N. W., Healey, T., et al. (2025). Pharmacology and mechanism of action of suzetrigine, a potent and selective NaV1.8 pain signal inhibitor for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. Pain Ther, 14(2), 655–674. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40122-024-00697-0
Ozleyen, A., Yilmaz, Y. B., Donmez, S., Atalay, H. N., Antika, G., & Tumer, T. B. (2023). Looking at NSAIDs from a historical perspective and their current status in drug repurposing for cancer treatment and prevention. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol, 149(5), 2095–2113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-022-04187-8
Pelletier, J. P., Martel-Pelletier, J., Rannou, F., & Cooper, C. (2016). Efficacy and safety of oral NSAIDs and analgesics in the management of osteoarthritis: Evidence from real-life setting trials and surveys. Semin Arthritis Rheum, 45(4 Suppl), S22–S27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2015.11.009
Peshin, S., Villa Celi, C., Rashid, S., Rego, A., & Baumrucker, S. J. (2025). Pharmacology update: Suzetrigine, a novel NaV1.8 sodium channel inhibitor for acute pain management. Am J Hosp Palliat Med, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091251353455
Rao, P., & Knaus, E. E. (2008). Evolution of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition and beyond. J Pharm Pharm Sci, 11(2), 81s–110s. https://doi.org/10.18433/j3t886
Stein, C. (2018). New concepts in opioid analgesia. Expert Opin Investig Drugs, 27(10), 765–775. https://doi.org/10.1080/13543784.2018.1516204
Stein, C. (2020). Opioid analgesia: Recent developments. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care, 14(2), 112–117. https://doi.org/10.1097/SPC.0000000000000495
Stewart, R. G., Osorno, T., Fujita, A., Jo, S., Ferraiuolo, A., Carlin, K., et al. (2025). Modulation of human dorsal root ganglion neuron firing by the NaV1.8 inhibitor suzetrigine. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 122(22), e2503570122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2503570122
Tighe, P., Buckenmaier, C. C., 3rd, Boezaart, A. P., Carr, D. B., Clark, L. L., Herring, A. A., et al. (2015). Acute pain medicine in the United States: A status report. Pain Med, 16(9), 1806–1826. https://doi.org/10.1111/pme.12760
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2025, January). JOURNAVX™ (suzetrigine) prescribing information. Silver Spring, MD: Author. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2025/219209s000lbl.pdf
Wood, J. N., Yan, N., Huang, J., Zhao, J., Akopian, A., Cox, J. J., et al. (2025). Sensory neuron sodium channels as pain targets: From cocaine to Journavx (VX-548, suzetrigine). J Gen Physiol, 157(4), e202513778. https://doi.org/10.1085/jgp.202513778
Views:
28
Downloads:
8
Copyright (c) 2025 Bartłomiej Rdzanek, Jakub Żelazo, Katarzyna Wacławek, Małgorzata Bacik, Klaudia Głodowska, Anna Ciesielka, Aleksandra Rechcińska, Kacper Kiereta, Zuzanna Cichowska, Laura Chmielowiec, Witold Czarnik, Michał Zdybel, Weronika Skrzypek

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published in open-access and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Hence, authors retain copyright to the content of the articles.
CC BY 4.0 License allows content to be copied, adapted, displayed, distributed, re-published or otherwise re-used for any purpose including for adaptation and commercial use provided the content is attributed.





