Bromazolam
Legal status
Legal status
Identifiers
  • 8-bromo-6-phenyl-1-methyl-4H-benzo[f] [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a] [1,4]diazepine
CAS Number
PubChem CID
ChemSpider
UNII
ChEMBL
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC17H13BrN4
Molar mass353.223 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • Brc1cc2C(=NCc3nnc(C)n3c2cc1)c4ccccc4
  • InChI=1S/C17H13BrN4/c1-11-20-21-16-10-19-17(12-5-3-2-4-6-12)14-9-13(18)7-8-15(14)22(11)16/h2-9H,10H2,1H3
  • Key:KCEIOBKDDQAYCM-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Bromazolam (XLI-268) is a triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) which was first synthesised in 1976, but was never marketed.[2] It has subsequently been sold as a designer drug, first being definitively identified by the EMCDDA in Sweden in 2016.[3] It is the bromo instead of chloro analogue of alprazolam and has similar sedative and anxiolytic effects to it and other benzodiazepines.[4][5] 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.[6] The "common" dosage range for users of bromazolam was reported to be 1–2 mg, suggesting its potency is similar to alprazolam.[7]

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.[8][9]

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.[10]

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.[11] However Bromazolam is not scheduled in Illinois.[12]

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.[13] 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."[14] 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.[15]

In the United Kingdom, Bromazolam is a Class C controlled substance.

See also

References

  1. ^ Anvisa (2023-03-31). "RDC Nº 784 - Listas de Substâncias Entorpecentes, Psicotrópicas, Precursoras e Outras sob Controle Especial" [Collegiate Board Resolution No. 784 - Lists of Narcotic, Psychotropic, Precursor, and Other Substances under Special Control] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Diário Oficial da União (published 2023-04-04). Archived from the original on 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  2. ^ Manchester KR, Lomas EC, Waters L, Dempsey FC, Maskell PD (January 2018). "The emergence of new psychoactive substance (NPS) benzodiazepines: A review". Drug Testing and Analysis. 10 (1): 37–53. doi:10.1002/dta.2211. PMID 28471096.
  3. ^ "Europol 2016 Annual Report on the implementation of Council Decision 2005/387/JHA. EMCDDA" (PDF). European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol). 2017.
  4. ^ Waters L, Manchester KR, Maskell PD, Haegeman C, Haider S (May 2018). "The use of a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model to predict GABA-A receptor binding of newly emerging benzodiazepines" (PDF). Science & Justice. 58 (3): 219–225. doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2017.12.004. PMID 29685303.
  5. ^ Zawilska JB, Wojcieszak J (July 2019). "An expanding world of new psychoactive substances-designer benzodiazepines". Neurotoxicology. 73: 8–16. doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2019.02.015. PMID 30802466. S2CID 73461430.
  6. ^ Clayton T, Poe MM, Rallapalli S, Biawat P, Savić MM, Rowlett JK, Gallos G, Emala CW, Kaczorowski CC, Stafford DC, Arnold LA, Cook JM (2015). "A Review of the Updated Pharmacophore for the Alpha 5 GABA(A) Benzodiazepine Receptor Model". International Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2015: 430248. doi:10.1155/2015/430248. PMC 4657098. PMID 26682068.
  7. ^ "Eastern District of Virginia | Florida Man Sentenced for Selling Counterfeit Drugs on the Dark Net | United States Department of Justice". 24 August 2021.
  8. ^ Chapter 34 law.lis.virginia.gov Archived 2023-03-23 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Warren County Grand Jury of February 2023 indictments - Royal Examiner". 18 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Eastern District of Virginia | Florida Man Sentenced for Selling Counterfeit Drugs on the Dark Net | United States Department of Justice". 24 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Drug charges filed recently in Madison County". 9 August 2021.
  12. ^ "720 ILCS 570/ Illinois Controlled Substances Act".
  13. ^ "Bromazolam Prevalence Surging Across the United States Driven In Part by Increasing Detections Alongside Fentanyl". 15 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Bromazolam Warning about deadly street drug bromazolam". 9 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Emerging Drug Threat in Indiana: Bromazolam" (PDF). 21 August 2023.
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