Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Stories

The first new class of pain medication in two decades

Developer and manufacturer of suzetrigine

For more than 20 years, doctors facing patients in severe pain had two choices: prescribe opioids that risked addiction, or use weaker alternatives that often fell short. On January 30, 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved suzetrigine—brand name Journavx—ending that drought as the first entirely new class of pain medication since the late 1990s.

Updated May 27

Generic CF drug crashes price 95%, ending decades of six-figure treatment costs

Rule Changes

Dominant CF treatment manufacturer facing first generic competition

A generic version of Trikafta—the cystic fibrosis drug that extends lives by decades—hit the market at $12,750 per year. That's 95% cheaper than Vertex Pharmaceuticals' brand-name version, which costs over $300,000 annually. The brand-name drug has generated billions while remaining out of reach for patients in developing nations and many Americans with inadequate insurance.

Updated May 20