FDA approves new pain medication intended to reduce likelihood of addiction

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FDA approves new pain medication

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(ABC 6 News) — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a first of its kind prescription pain medication that is non-opioid.

The drug is called Journavx, and it is taken orally twice per day. It is meant to significantly reduce the risks of addiction and overdose that are associated with opioid medications like Vicodin and oxycontin.

“This particular agent has not been studied in chronic pain yet. It’s been studied in acute pain, post-surgery, for that type of acute pain, and it has been studied in pain that goes out to 14 days,” said Michael Schuh, a pharmacist at Mayo Clinic.

The drug’s inception began in the early 2000s when overdoses were increasing as a result of massive prescriptions of opioid painkillers. Common side effects of Journavx include nausea, itching, rash, and headache.