The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new non-opioid painkiller designed to eliminate the risk of addiction and overdose, AP reports.

The medication, Journavx, is approved for short-term pain that often follows surgery or injuries. Journavx, made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, works differently than opioids. It blocks proteins that trigger pain signals that are later sent to the brain.

Journavx was tested in more than 870 patients with acute pain from foot or abdominal surgeries. The medication provided more relief than a placebo but did not outperform a common opioid-acetaminophen combination pill, the article notes.

“It’s not a slam dunk on effectiveness,” Michael Schuh of the Mayo Clinic, a pharmacist and pain medicine expert who was not involved in the research, told AP. “But it is a slam dunk in that it’s a very different pathway and mechanism of action. So, I think that shows a lot promise.”

The medication will have a list price of $15.50 per pill, making it much more costly than comparable opioids, which are often available as generics for $1 or less.