Suzetrigine Versus Usual-care Opioids for Postop Pain in Sports

January 19, 2026 updated by: Jomar Aryee, University of California, Los Angeles

Suzetrigine Versus Usual-care Opioids for Postoperative Pain After Common Ambulatory Orthopaedic Sports Procedures - A Randomized Control Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a Suzetrigine-based multimodal pain regimen can reduce the volume of opioid consumption while maintaining non-inferior pain control compared to an opioid-based multimodal pain regimen after common ambulatory orthopaedic sports procedures. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  1. Does including Suzetrigine in the multimodal pain regimen lower the volume of opioids consumed by participants while maintaining non-inferior pain control?
  2. How does the side-effect profile of a Suzetrigine-based multimodal postop pain regimen compare to that of an opioid-based multimodal postoperative pain regimen?

Eligible participants will be assigned to receive one of the postop pain regimens and report their opioid use, their pain level, and the side effects they faced every day for 7 days.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Pain control after most arthroscopic and open orthopaedic sports surgeries in the ambulatory setting is dependent on multimodal pain regimens that include the use of narcotics. These medications are often considered necessary for appropriate pain control but pose risks of harm to patients through systemic side effects, potential for overdose, and potential for long-term dependence. They also pose risks to society through diversion, fueling the economically burdensome opioid crisis, and being a nidus for drug-related crimes. Suzetrigine (Journavx) was FDA-approved in January of 2025 for use in the management of acute pain. It is the first non-opioid analgesic approved since celecoxib (anti-inflammatory) in the late 1990's and has been shown to provide non-inferior pain control when compared to placebo as well as to opioid-based drug regimens in some postoperative settings. It's efficacy in reducing postoperative opioid exposure without sacrificing pain control after common ambulatory orthopaedic sports procedures that already use multimodal/regional anesthesia has yet to be studied in a controlled fashion.

At the University of Califronia Los Angeles (UCLA), multimodal strategies for patients undergoing common ambulatory orthopaedic sports procedures like primary ACL reconstruction or rotator cuff repair currently include regional anesthesia, acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and opioids. Since FDA approval, Suzetrigine has been incorporated into postoperative pain management at UCLA for select patients, but has not been uniformly adopted. Evaluating its role in a controlled, randomized setting among patients undergoing common ambulatory Orthopaedic sports procedures will provide important data on best practices when incorporating it within current multimodal protocols as well as its impact on postoperative opioid use in these settings.

This study aims to evaluate its efficacy and opioid-sparing potential in patients undergoing an archetypal outpatient, Orthopaedic sports knee procedure - primary ACL reconstruction - and to inform its potential integration into enhanced recovery pathways.

This aim will be achieved by investigating whether a Suzetrigine based multimodal regimen affects total opioid consumption over 7 days after surgery when compared to an opioid-based multimodal regimen, while maintaining non-inferior pain control at 48 hours

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
140

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients undergoing reconstruction of primary ACL tear

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Concurrent ligamentous injuries requiring surgical intervention
  • Full thickness cartilage injury requiring discrete surgical intervention
  • Chronic opioid use
  • Significant hepatic disease (Child/Pugh C)
  • Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Women of childbearing age using hormonal contraceptives containing progestins other than levonorgestrel and norethindrone
  • Allergies or intolerance to any study medications
  • Inability to complete ePROs (due to literacy or infirmity)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Suzetrigine Arm

Patients in both groups will receive a common multimodal pain control regimen which includes a preoperative regional anesthesia, a 14-day supply of 1000mg acetaminophen BID, and a 14-day supply of 500mg naproxen BID. Patients randomized to the Suzetrigine arm will receive a loading dose of Suzetrigine 100mg in PACU postoperatively and a 7-day supply of 50mg suzetrigine BID for 1 week total.

Patients in this group will also receive 25 tablets of 5mg of oxycodone for rescue pain control.
Drug: Suzetrigine
Patients in this group will receive a preoperative regional anesthesia block, a 14-day supply of 1000mg acetaminophen BID, a 14-day supply of 500mg naproxen BID, a loading dose of Suzetrigine 100mg in PACU postoperatively, a 7-day supply of 50mg suzetrigine BID and 25 tablets of 5mg of oxycodone for rescue pain control postoperatively.
Other Names:
  • Journavx
Experimental: Opioid Arm
Patients in both groups will receive a common multimodal pain control regimen which includes a preoperative regional anesthesia, a 14-day supply of 1000mg acetaminophen BID, and a 14-day supply of 500mg naproxen BID. Patients randomized to the Opioid arm will also receive 25 tablets of 5mg of oxycodone and will not receive a Suzetrigine prescription.
Drug: Multimodal Pain Regimen
Patients in this group will receive a preoperative regional anesthesia block, a 14-day supply of 1000mg acetaminophen BID, a 14-day supply of 500mg naproxen BID, and 25 tablets of 5mg of oxycodone for PRN pain control postoperatively.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
7-Day MME Consumption
Time Frame: 7 days
Total opioids consumed by patients measured in morphine milliequivalents for the first seven days postoperatively
7 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
SPID-48
Time Frame: 48 hours
Time-weighted Sum of Pain Intensity Difference over 48 hours used to quantify pain relief by summing a patient's pain reduction from their baseline score over a 48-hour period.
48 hours
7-Day Opioid Free Rate
Time Frame: 7 days
The percentage of patients who avoid opioid use after medical procedures
7 days
Opioid Side Effect Rate
Time Frame: 7 days
Proportion of patients reporting instances of nausea, constipation, dizziness, or loss of appetite
7 days
Suzetrigine Side Effect Rate
Time Frame: 7 Days
Proportion of patients reporting muscle aches, muscle spasm, or itchiness
7 Days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of California, Los Angeles

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 1, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 19, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 21, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 19, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IRB-25-2108

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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