Phase 4 study data presented at the 2026 American Academy of Pain Medicine meeting reported that more than 90% of patients undergoing aesthetic or reconstructive procedures remained opioid-free when treated with Journavx as part of multimodal therapy.

Data from a Phase 4 study evaluating Journavx (suzetrigine) from Vertex for postoperative pain following aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery were presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine PainConnect 2026 meeting, held March 5–8, 2026, in Salt Lake City. The study assessed the prescription non-opioid pain signal inhibitor as part of multimodal therapy for moderate-to-severe acute pain in adults undergoing plastic surgery procedures.

Study Design and Patient Population

The Phase 4 open-label, multicenter, single-arm study evaluated Journavx when administered preoperatively and postoperatively alongside other medications commonly used in multimodal therapy, most often acetaminophen and ibuprofen. The study enrolled 99 patients undergoing aesthetic and reconstructive procedures where moderate-to-severe postoperative pain is common and where opioid therapy is typically used for at least 72 hours after surgery.

Procedures included reconstructive and aesthetic breast surgeries, liposuction, abdominoplasty with liposuction, and turbinoplasties.

Patient-Reported Outcomes

The study’s primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who rated treatment effectiveness as excellent, very good, or good on the Patient Global Assessment scale at the end of treatment.

Results showed that 90.7% of patients (95% CI: 83.1%, 95.7%) rated the effectiveness of Journavx as part of multimodal therapy as excellent, very good, or good.

Opioid Use Findings

The study reported that 90.9% of patients did not require rescue opioids following surgery through the end of treatment, which lasted up to 14 days.

Among the nine patients who did receive rescue opioids, the average use was approximately two tablets over two days.

The company noted that published literature reports opioid-free rates of less than 10% with multimodal treatment without Journavx.

Safety Observations

Journavx was generally safe and well tolerated in the study. No serious adverse events related to the drug were reported. Observed adverse events were mild or moderate and consistent with the postoperative setting.

“As a surgeon, effective pain management is a cornerstone of patient recovery, and the data from this study highlight the potential of JOURNAVX in enabling opioid-free recovery for patients across a broad range of surgeries,” said Samuel Lin, MD, FACS, lead author of the study; director of aesthetic surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; chief of plastic surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital—Needham; and associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School.

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