{"id":3816,"date":"2025-07-11T01:05:22","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T08:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wrwofficial.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/11\/why-a-new-opioid-alternative-is-out-of-reach-for-some-pain-patients-shots\/"},"modified":"2025-07-11T01:05:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T08:05:28","slug":"why-a-new-opioid-alternative-is-out-of-reach-for-some-pain-patients-shots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wrwofficial.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/11\/why-a-new-opioid-alternative-is-out-of-reach-for-some-pain-patients-shots\/","title":{"rendered":"Why a new opioid alternative is out of reach for some pain patients : Shots"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first new kind of painkiller in 20 years. It’s considered an alternative to opioids. But it’s expensive, and not everyone has access to it yet.
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Vertex Pharmaceuticals<\/p>\n

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Vertex Pharmaceuticals<\/p>\n

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Jerry Abrams, a 64-year-old marketing strategist in Minneapolis, used to run marathons.<\/p>\n

But two decades of degenerative spine disease have left him unable to run \u2014 and he’s grieving.<\/p>\n

For Abrams, losing running felt like “the loss of a loved one \u2013 that friend who’s been with you every day you needed him.<\/p>\n

“You know, having that taken away from you because of pain is the hardest thing of all,” he says.<\/p>\n

The constant pain in his lower back makes running impossible. Sometimes, when the pain isn’t under control, he can’t get out of bed.<\/p>\n

Abrams has tried taking opioids. They help, but he feels he has to be careful because they’re potentially addictive<\/u><\/a>. He’s also worried about building up a tolerance to them.<\/p>\n