Chemistry:Bromazolam
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| Formula | C17H13BrN4 |
| Molar mass | 353.223 g·mol−1 |
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Bromazolam (XLI-268) is a triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) which was first synthesised in 1976, but was never marketed.[1] It has subsequently been sold as a designer drug, first being definitively identified by the EMCDDA in Sweden in 2016.[2] It is the bromo instead of chloro analogue of alprazolam and has similar sedative and anxiolytic effects to it and other benzodiazepines.[3][4] Bromazolam is a non subtype selective agonist at the benzodiazepine site of GABAA receptors, with a binding affinity of 2.81nM at the α1 subtype, 0.69nM at α2 and 0.62nM at α5.[5] The "common" dosage range for users of bromazolam was reported to be 1–2 mg, suggesting its potency is similar to alprazolam.[6]
Legality
In the United States, Bromazolam is unscheduled at the federal level. However a number of states such as Virginia have placed Bromazolam into Schedule 1 at the state level but does not include the chloro analog Phenazolam.[7][8]
Despite being unscheduled there have been several arrests in the United States for mismarketing Bromazolam as Alprazolam, typically in the shape of brand name Xanax tablets which constitutes a counterfeit drug charge among others.[9]
In Illinois, at least 1 person has been arrested for "unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony." for the possession of less than 15 grams (½ oz) of Bromazolam, similar to being charged for unlawful possession of Alprazolam in Illinois. It's unknown if this arrest involved counterfeit Xanax shaped tablets or powder.[10] However Bromazolam is not scheduled in Illinois.[11]
In June 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice reported that bromazolam seizures were "surging" across the United States, driven in part by increasing detections alongside fentanyl.[12] Illicit opioids such as heroin or fentanyl analogues are mixed with bromazolam and sold at the street level; the product is sometimes referred to as "benzo-dope."[13] The Indiana Department of Health reported that bromazolam represented 73% of all novel or designer benzodiazepines detected in the first six months of 2023. Of 1,051 blood toxicology samples containing bromazolam reported between January and June 2023, 83% were fentanyl positive, suggesting that bromazolam is commonly mixed with fentanyl.[14]
In the United Kingdom, Bromazolam is a Class C controlled substance.
See also
- Clobromazolam
- Flualprazolam
- Flubromazolam
- Pyrazolam
- Triazolam
References
- ↑ "The emergence of new psychoactive substance (NPS) benzodiazepines: A review". Drug Testing and Analysis 10 (1): 37–53. January 2018. doi:10.1002/dta.2211. PMID 28471096. https://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/32340.
- ↑ "Europol 2016 Annual Report on the implementation of Council Decision 2005/387/JHA. EMCDDA". European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol). 2017. https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/4724/TDAN17001ENN_PDFWEB.pdf.
- ↑ "The use of a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model to predict GABA-A receptor binding of newly emerging benzodiazepines". Science & Justice 58 (3): 219–225. May 2018. doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2017.12.004. PMID 29685303. https://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/34383/1/waters.et.al.pdf.
- ↑ "An expanding world of new psychoactive substances-designer benzodiazepines". Neurotoxicology 73: 8–16. July 2019. doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2019.02.015. PMID 30802466.
- ↑ "A Review of the Updated Pharmacophore for the Alpha 5 GABA(A) Benzodiazepine Receptor Model". International Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2015: 430248. 2015. doi:10.1155/2015/430248. PMID 26682068.
- ↑ "Critical review report: Bromazolam". 20 October 2023. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/46th-ecdd/bromazolam_46th-ecdd-critical-review_public-version.pdf?sfvrsn=4f1bccfa_1.
- ↑ Chapter 34 law.lis.virginia.gov
- ↑ "Warren County Grand Jury of February 2023 indictments - Royal Examiner". 18 February 2023. https://royalexaminer.com/warren-county-grand-jury-of-february-2023-indictments/.
- ↑ "Eastern District of Virginia | Florida Man Sentenced for Selling Counterfeit Drugs on the Dark Net | United States Department of Justice". 24 August 2021. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/florida-man-sentenced-selling-counterfeit-drugs-dark-net.
- ↑ "Drug charges filed recently in Madison County". 9 August 2021. https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Drug-charges-filed-recently-in-Madison-County-16375429.php.
- ↑ "720 ILCS 570/ Illinois Controlled Substances Act". https://ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs5.asp?ActID=1941&ChapterID=53.
- ↑ "Bromazolam Prevalence Surging Across the United States Driven In Part by Increasing Detections Alongside Fentanyl". 15 June 2022. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/bromazolam-prevalence-surging-across-united-states-driven-part.
- ↑ "Bromazolam Warning about deadly street drug bromazolam". 9 December 2022. https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/health/news/news_release.2022.12.0695.html.
- ↑ "Emerging Drug Threat in Indiana: Bromazolam". 21 August 2023. https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/INSDH/2023/08/28/file_attachments/2596038/DTIP_Bromazolam%20notification.pdf.
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