The drug, shown to be almost as effective as opioids for short-term pain, is the first fundamentally new kind of painkiller to win FDA approval in more than 20 years.

The prescription pills, sold under the brand name Journavx and made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, are taken twice a day and represent the first new class of pain medications in 20 years—and the first non-opioid painkiller since that class first appeared on the market in the 1980s.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ oral Journavx (suzetrigine) to treat adults with acute pain. The FDA has approved the non-opioid, highly selective NaV1.8 pain signal inhibitor for administration twice daily.