Boston — Vertex Pharmaceuticals has partnered with world champion skier Lindsey Vonn to raise awareness of JOURNAVX® (suzetrigine), its prescription non-opioid medicine approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain in adults.
JOURNAVX was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2025. Vertex said the medicine has since been prescribed to more than one million Americans.
Vonn is sharing her experience using the drug following injuries she sustained in a crash during the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina. The injuries required immediate surgery and several additional procedures.
“I have experienced countless injuries throughout my career, and I’m no stranger to the pain that comes along with them. After my injury at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, opioids were the first thing I was prescribed for pain management. While they helped in the immediate aftermath of the crash, my body just wasn’t handling them well and I was concerned about staying on them — so I knew I wanted to try something else,” Vonn said.
“That’s when my doctor prescribed me JOURNAVX, a non-opioid option. It helped me immensely and was also effective when a complication from surgery brought on more intense pain. While everyone’s experiences can vary, JOURNAVX has been such an important part of my recovery that it’s the only thing I plan to use for acute pain with an upcoming surgery next year.”
Vonn said she hopes sharing her experience will encourage patients with acute pain to discuss available treatment options with their physicians.
“We’re proud to partner with ski legend Lindsey Vonn, one of the most decorated athletes in history and someone deeply committed to helping others,” said Duncan McKechnie, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Vertex. “By sharing her pain management experience with JOURNAVX, Lindsey is helping raise awareness about this important non-opioid acute pain treatment option.”
Thomas Hackett, M.D., Complex Knee and Shoulder Surgeon at The Steadman Clinic, said non-opioid options can play an important role in postoperative pain management.
“Having a non-opioid option like JOURNAVX available is critical to that mission,” Hackett said. “For Lindsey, JOURNAVX played an important role in how we approached her acute pain care, effectively relieving her pain, and I was confident to prescribe it in managing her acute pain following her most recent surgery.”
