FDA Approves Vertex Pain Drug as Safer Opioid Alternative (1)

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.

Each year, about 125 million opioid prescriptions are written for Americans with pain caused by ...