Course Summary

Expiration Date: 07/07/2029

Suzetrigine is a first-in-class, peripherally acting NaV1.8 sodium channel inhibitor approved by the FDA in January 2025 for short-term treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in adults. By selectively blocking NaV1.8 in peripheral sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia, suzetrigine attenuates pain transmission without acting on central opioid receptors, offering effective analgesia without the sedation, respiratory depression, or addiction potential associated with opioids. Two phase 3 trials in postoperative abdominoplasty and bunionectomy demonstrated statistically significant pain reduction versus placebo with rapid onset of relief and an opioid-sparing profile. This course reviews suzetrigine’s mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, dosing, safety profile, and clinical role in multimodal, opioid-sparing acute pain management.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Pain Management Background
  • History of the Opioid Epidemic
  • Need for Novel Pain Management Treatments
  • Pharmacology and Mechanistic Overview
  • Integrating Suzetrigine Into Acute Pain Management
  • Administration, Precautions, and Special Populations
    • Background
    • Methods
    • Results
    • Safety
    • Study Discussion
  • Summary

Authors

Richard Daniels, PharmD, BCPS

Richard “Cole” Daniels earned his Doctor of Pharmacy(PharmD) from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Montana in 2018. Throughout pharmacy school he completed a 3-year internship at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana in which he gained valuable experience in an acute care setting. Cole currently serves as a psychiatric clinical staff pharmacist at the Montana State Hospital. He has over 11 years of pharmacy experience having worked in several settings including retail, acute care, and inpatient psychiatric care. Cole has a diverse set of interests. However, acute care medicine, infectious disease, pain management, and asthma/COPD are a primary focus of his at the Montana State Hospital. He obtained board certification as a certified pharmacotherapy specialist in the Spring of 2022.

Elisabeth Gordon, BScPharm, RPh

Elisabeth Gordon earned her BSc(Pharm) from the University of British Columbia in 2004. After graduation, she worked in community retail pharmacies on Vancouver Island, before returning to her rural hometown of Salmon Arm. In 2016 and 2017, Elisabeth trained with Pallium Canada and Victoria Hospice to enhance her knowledge of end-of-life-care and palliative services. She is a volunteer medical supervisor for T1DOutreach, a peer support platform for adults living with type 1 diabetes, and a member of a Canadian peer support group for adults living with Birdshot Uveitis. Elisabeth enjoys working in a small, fast-paced rural pharmacy where she brings compassion and empathy to her everyday practice.