The Clinical Application of Suzetrigine

Acute pain affects patient’s health and quality of life. Suzetrigine is a new highly selective Nav1.8 inhibitor for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in adults. This article aims to summarize the existing clinical results of suzetrigine to evaluate its mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, efficacy, and safety. Using the keywords “suzetrigine OR VX-548 OR SUZ” AND “Acute Pain OR Pain, Acute,” clinical trial results were searched on PubMed, Web of Science, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (suzetrigine’s R&D company) Inc., and ClinicalTrials.gov. Suzetrigine is a CYP3A inducer; caution should be exercised when combining it with CYP3A substrates. Dosage adjustment is required for patients with hepatic or renal impairment. In four phase II and III trials for patients with bunionectomy and abdominoplasty surgery, suzetrigine demonstrated superior pain relief within 48 h compared to placebo (p < 0.05) and a lower incidence of adverse reactions compared with hydrocodone bitartrate/acetaminophen. As a new type of analgesic, the clinical studies of suzetrigine in other types of pain and special populations, as well as whether there are gender metabolic differences, are still unknown. Thus, current research on suzetrigine is worth further exploration.