Suzetrigine: What We Know and What We Don't

Key Message: Suzetrigine represents a novel class of non-opioid treatments for pain, yet little has been described on its role in the palliative care setting. This session will provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of the strengths and limitations of suzetrigine’s small but growing evidence base.

Abstract: Suzetrigine is a highly selective peripheral sodium channel blocker which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2025 as a novel treatment for moderate to severe acute pain (1,2). The advent of such a non-opioid agent provides an opportunity to expand the palliative care clinician’s toolkit, particularly when pain management with opioids is insufficient or contraindicated. Despite the potential for this new medication class to address these common challenges in the care of patients with serious illness, little has been described on its role in the palliative care setting.

This session will provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of the strengths and limitations of suzetrigine’s small but growing evidence base, with specific focus on its potential use within palliative care. The session will also use principles of evidence-based medicine to critically assess the quality of the existing literature and highlight the risk of bias within existing studies (3-7). Lastly, this session will call attention to gaps in the literature for which palliative care specific research is greatly needed to elucidate suzetrigine’s potential impact on the clinical practice of palliative care.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to 1) Compare and contrast the unique pharmacology, mechanism of action, and clinical characteristics of suzetrigine to other common pain medications, 2) Evaluate the potential strengths and limitations of suzetrigine in the palliative care setting based on a critical appraisal of the current literature, and 3) Apply this knowledge into their own practice.

References: (1) U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2025, January 30). FDA approves novel non-opioid treatment for moderate to severe acute pain | FDA. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-novel-non-opioid-treatment-moderate-severe-acute-pain.
(2) Journavx (suzetrigine) [prescribing information]. Boston, MA: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated; January 2025. 
(3) Jones J. Selective Inhibition of NaV1.8 with VX-548 for Acute Pain. NEJM 2023. 389:393-405.
(4) Osteen, J.D., Immani, S., Tapley, T.L. et al. 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 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40122-024-00697-0.
(5) Oliver B, Devitt C, Park G, Razak A, Liu SM, Bergese SD. Drugs in Development to Manage Acute Pain. Drugs. 2025 Jan;85(1):11-19. doi: 10.1007/s40265-024-02118-0. Epub 2024 Nov 19. PMID: 39560856. 
(6) Hang Kong AY, Tan HS, Habib AS. VX-548 in the treatment of acute pain. Pain Manag. 2024 Sep;14(9):477-486. doi: 10.1080/17581869.2024.2421749. Epub 2024 Nov 18. PMID: 39552600; PMCID: PMC11721852. 
(7) Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. VX-548 Phase 2 Results in Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. 2023. Available from: https://investors.vrtx.com/static-files/1eeed94f-d3fe-42f6-9557-2e71475afc35.