BRIEF—FDA approves Heron Therapeutics’ Zynrelef

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Zynrelef (bupivacaine/meloxicam) for use in adults to reduce pain for up to three days after removal of bunions, groin hernia repair, and total knee replacement.

Developed by Heron Therapeutics, Zynrelef is applied into the wound at the time of surgery.

Zynrelef is the only non-opioid that has been clinically shown to better manage severe pain than standard-of-care bupivacaine over three days and to significantly reduce or eliminate opioid use in many patients following surgery.

Zynrelef is the first and only extended-release dual-acting local anesthetic (DALA), delivering a fixed-dose combination of the local anesthetic bupivacaine and a low dose of non-0steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) meloxicam.

With the addition of Zynrelef as an FDA-approved non-opioid option to provide superior pain control for up to 72 hours versus the standard-of-care bupivacaine HCl, healthcare providers can be better equipped to treat patients while reducing opioid exposure.

This results in preventing unnecessary exposure to opioids and reducing postoperative opioid prescriptions that could lead to opioid addiction and death for some patients.