The drug, shown to be almost as effective as opioids for short-term pain, is the first fundamentally new kind of painkiller to win FDA approval in more than 20 years.

Despite high demand for an option like Journavx, doctors fear the drug’s price could be a hangup for insurers and limit patients’ ability to access it.

The greenlight for Journavx (suzetrigine), which comes on the heels of a $7.4 billion opioid settlement, could spark momentum in the fledgling non-opioid pain space.