This summer’s approval of Tonix Pharmaceuticals’ fibromyalgia drug, Tonmya, ended a 15-year dry spell in a market long beset by challenges. But it remains to be seen if this repurposed version of a decades-old drug will give patients the game-changing approach they’re looking for — and it could be a while before another new option comes along.
Fibromyalgia research is progressing as scientists better understand the drivers of chronic pain and regulators push for non-narcotic solutions. The January approval of Journavx, a non-opioid pain signal inhibitor from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, has spurred further interest in the field, and fibromyalgia researchers are exploring new avenues to tackle pain, including psychedelics and GLP-1 obesity drugs.
Tonmya is a reformulated version of the muscle relaxer, cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride. Doctors have prescribed the drug…