Basketball champion Jayson Taytum sustained one of the worst injuries a professional NBA player can have–an Achilles tendon rupture–in May during the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals.
The 27-year-old Boston Celtics player required immediate surgery and has been on the mend since then. One of the things that helped him manage the pain post-surgery is JOURNAVX, a non-opioid alternative that the FDA recently approved. The basketball star has partnered with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated to share his experience with the medicine.
“I have dealt with pain and played through it quite a bit over the course of my career, but tearing my Achilles was something I never thought would happen to me,” the NBA champion said in press release statement. “With the intensity of this surgery and recovery, I knew I would need a different approach to managing the pain given the side effects I initially experienced with the opioid pain medication that my surgeon prescribed me. I took JOURNAVX as a non-opioid alternative, and it worked in effectively managing my pain. My hope is that by sharing my story, people will see they’re not alone in wanting new options to treat their short-term pain and should feel empowered to talk with their doctor about JOURNAVX to see if it’s right for them.”
This medication fills in an important gap when it comes to pain medication, considering so many Americans are prescribed opioids, which can be addictive. About 80 million U.S. adults are prescribed pain meds for acute pain annually, with about half receiving opioids. A notable 85,000 of said adults develop opioid use disorder within a year of treatment. JOURNAVX, also known as suzetrigine, can be more effective than over-the-counter pain meds but less addictive than opioids.
In terms of how the oral medicine works, JOURNAVX provides relief by blocking pain signals found in the periphery, not in the brain, like traditional opioids. Some side effects of the medicine to be aware of include itching, muscle spasms, increased blood levels of creatine phosphokinase, and the possibility of a rash.
Of course, speak with a healthcare professional to find out whether this medicine is right for your situation.
As for Tatum, in addition to JOURNAVX helping him in his recovery, the athlete also said his kids, including oldest son Deuce, have also been instrumental in the healing process.
“‘You think Daddy’s going to come back and be able to do that again?” Tatum said he asked his son while the child was watching other NBA players on his tablet one day, per an interview with PEOPLE. “Of course,” Deuce replied. “I really needed that. There have been plenty of moments during this when I doubted myself. My son thinks I can do anything.”