‘Completely Reasonable Price’ May Boost Coverage of Pain Drug Journavx
-
Apr 10, 2025
Since the FDA approved Journavx (suzetrigine) earlier this year for moderate to severe acute pain, a few payers have announced they would cover the medication, which offers an oral, non-opioid option for people who are at risk of developing opioid use disorder (OUD). Although Journavx’s list price is more than 20 times higher than some generic opioids, David Rind, M.D., chief medical officer at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), says the new medication has a “completely reasonable price” and is “almost certainly high value.”
Rind adds that ICER “almost always” recommends that pharmaceutical companies “should discount their prices.” However, in this case Rind says that Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Journavx’s manufacturer, “should be commended for fair pricing.” Journavx has a wholesale acquisition cost of $15.50 per tablet or $232.50 for a weekly regimen of two pills per day, which is significantly below ICER’s cost-effectiveness threshold of $4,500 to $6,500 per week. Rind notes that generic opioids cost about $10 per week.
Read more
© 2024 MMIT
The Latest
Meet Our Reporters
Meet Our Reporters
GAIN THERAPEUTIC AREA-SPECIFIC INTEL TO DRIVE ACCESS FOR YOUR BRAND
Sign up for publications to get unmatched business intelligence delivered to your inbox.