A retrospective study presented at the 51st Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting by investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health, found that a newly available non-opioid pain reliever was generally well tolerated by postoperative orthopedic surgery patients—an important step forward in advancing non‑opioid pain management options.
The medication, suzetrigine (JOURNAVX®), was FDA-approved in January 2025 and became available at HSS in April 2025. It is the first non-opioid pain reliever released in more than 25 years.
Alexandra Sideris, PhD, Director of the Pain Prevention Research Center at HSS, and Faye Rim, MD, FAAPMR, a physiatrist and pain management specialist within the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care & Pain Management, co-led the study.
One advantage of the new medication is that it works differently from standard over-the-counter pain relievers and stronger medications like opioids.
“What’s exciting about this new medication is that it is targeting pain signal on the nerves outside of the brain, so you’re presumably getting to the acute pain source right at the time where that happens,” Dr. Sideris said. “Early studies also suggest that it’s devoid of those classical addictive properties that opioids have.”
It’s even more targeted than local anesthetics, which block pain messengers known as sodium channels. Instead, suzetrigine blocks just one sodium channel, Nav1.8, which means patients should experience fewer side effects and more targeted pain relief.
HSS was an early adopter in New York City to add suzetrigine to its formulary, and Dr. Rim was instrumental in bringing it to surgical patients. Patients managed by the Perioperative Pain Service often have complex needs that opioids alone may not be able to meet. Some patients may have other conditions that contraindicate the use of opioids. suzetrigine presents a novel, non-habit-forming option that can either replace or augment opioid use after surgery.
For this study, the team evaluated 103 HSS patients who took suzetrigine after undergoing a variety of surgical procedures, but primarily joint arthroplasty or spine surgery. Eight patients (7.8%) experienced at least one adverse reaction during admission, likely related to the drug, and ended up stopping the medication. The remaining 95 patients (92.2%) generally tolerated it well.
“The longer term goal is to see if adding on suzetrigine actually decreases your need for opioids or if it is an effective option for patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery who cannot tolerate opioids,” Dr. Sideris said.
Pain has historically been a challenging area for drug development, in part because preclinical models do not always predict human response.
“Unfortunately, many things that work in animals just haven’t translated into humans, and it’s been a quest to understand [why],” Dr. Sideris said.
But this drug’s novel approach makes it an exciting advance in the field and one that HSS pain researchers were eager to capitalize on. This initial study gives a first look at how suzetrigine is tolerated in surgical patients at HSS, with an ongoing study in patients undergoing total hip replacements, and more research planned in patients knee, and spine surgery. Further studies will evaluate who may benefit from the medication the most, and who is more likely to require additional support. Currently, it is not a first-line medication, but Dr. Rim anticipates that will change as the drug becomes more widely available and additional evidence emerges on its efficacy in various surgical populations.
“We need to look more carefully at why certain patients may not do as well on this medication as we think they would,” she said. “It’s not a panacea, but it’s definitely promising.”
She added that HSS was an obvious choice for the medication’s early adoption due to the institution’s reputation for cutting-edge science and advanced care.
“HSS is known for being innovative and this falls in line with that,” Dr. Rim said. “We want to try to utilize anything that’s safe and effective within an arsenal to make sure patients recover well and become functional.”
About HSS
HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 16th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2025-2026), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2025-2026). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a fifth consecutive year (2025). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection and complication rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. In addition, more than 200 HSS clinical investigators are working to improve patient outcomes through better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat orthopedic, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 165 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260417966526/en/
Media gallery
