Suzetrigine mechanism, efficacy, and clinical implications: A narrative review

Acute pain, especially in postoperative and trauma areas, continues to be a substantial clinical problem all around the world, and this has been made worse by the opioid crisis as well as the drawbacks of the current non-opioid analgesics. The recent approval by the FDA of Suzetrigine (Journavx®) in January 2025 as the first-ever non-opioid analgesic aimed at the NaV1.8 sodium channel has opened new paths in pain management. Suzetrigine works only on NaV1.8 in the peripheral pain-sensing neurons, giving the patient targeted relief from pain without central nervous system (CNS) side effects or the risk of addiction. This paper sums up the newest clinical trial results (NAVIGATE-1 and NAVIGATE-2), real-world evidence, and regulatory frameworks to give a complete account of Suzetrigine’s pharmacology, clinical efficacy, safety profile, and potential to change acute pain treatment. While Suzetrigine showed a statistically significant and clinically relevant reduction in pain during Phase III trials, its use on a long-term basis for chronic pain and in other fields still has to be studied. This review furthermore evaluates the factors that make it difficult to approve such medicine, like doctors' education and the cost, and at the same time, it encourages the research and policy changes that will be needed to harness the full power of Suzetrigine.