Acute pain drug Journavx helps drive Vertex growth in second quarter

Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported second-quarter revenue of $3.33 billion, a 12% increase from a year ago, as sales of its nonopioid acute pain drug Journavx (suzetrigine) continued to grow, and the company raised its full-year 2026 revenue forecast to $13.1 billion to $13.2 billion.

“Vertex delivered excellent second-quarter results, expanding our leadership in cystic fibrosis; delivering strong revenue growth in sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia, and acute pain,” Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., chief executive officer and president of Vertex, said in a news release.

Journavx, the company's first-in-class oral nonopioid treatment for adults with moderate-to-severe acute pain, generated $50 million in revenue during the second quarter. That was up 71% from the first quarter of 2026 and more than four times the $12 million reported during the second quarter of 2025.

Use of the drug also continued to grow. Vertex said about 535,000 Journavx prescriptions were filled during the second quarter. Nearly 900,000 prescriptions have been filled during the first half of 2026 across hospital and retail settings.

Insurance coverage for the drug also expanded during the quarter. Vertex said it reached agreements with two additional major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to provide Medicare Part D coverage for Journavx. As a result, seniors covered by three of the four largest Medicare Part D PBMs now have reimbursed access to the drug, according to the company.

While the company did not name the organizations or specify the terms of the coverage, the four largest PBMs are generally considered to be CVS Caremark, a CVS Health company; Express Scripts, a Cigna company; Optum Rx, a UnitedHealth Group company and Prime Therapeutics.

The company also said 23 state Medicaid programs now cover Journavx. In total, about 260 million people in the U.S. now have reimbursed access through commercial and government health plans.

Outside the U.S., Health Canada accepted Vertex's new drug submission for Journavx to treat moderate-to-severe acute pain. The application is under review.

In the release, Vertex also highlighted new real-world evidence supporting the treatment. A recent study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found that Journavx, when used as part of multimodal pain management, helped support opioid-free recovery after aesthetic or reconstructive procedures.

The company said spending increased during the quarter because of continued investment in the Journavx launch and development of its kidney disease programs. Research and development and selling, general and administrative expenses were higher than during the same quarter last year.

Vertex is continuing to expand its pain pipeline beyond acute pain, according to the release. The company expects to finish enrollment by the end of 2026 in two phase 3 studies evaluating Journavx in diabetic peripheral neuropathy. It’s also on track to complete enrollment this year in a phase 2 study of VX-993 for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

In earlier-stage research, Vertex is developing medicines that target NaV1.7, which could be used alone or with NaV1.8 inhibitors to treat acute and neuropathic pain.

The company said it expects its non-cystic fibrosis products, including Journavx and the gene-editing therapy Casgevy, to generate at least $500 million in revenue during 2026.

Vertex also reported progress across other parts of its pipeline. The FDA accepted the biologics license application for povetacicept for immunoglobulin A nephropathy and set a target action date of Nov. 30, 2026. In addition, the company said it continues to advance programs in cystic fibrosis, type 1 diabetes and kidney disease.

Lastly, Vertex said it expects to complete its planned acquisition of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter of 2026. The transaction, valued at about $10 billion, is expected to expand the company's portfolio into rare endocrine diseases. The acquisition was not included in the company's updated financial report.