Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. gained US approval for the first new type of painkiller in more than two decades, paving the way for a safer alternative to addictive opioids that have been linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths.

Suzetrigine prevents pain signals from reaching the brain and doesn't give an opioid-like high, making it non-addictive—but it's expensive.

One participant in the drug trial for Journavx said it eliminated her pain without making her feel loopy or nauseous, which she says she experienced when taking opioids.