Etodesnitazene (Desnitroetonitazene, Etazen, Etazene, Etazone) is a benzimidazole derived opioidanalgesic drug, which was originally developed in the late 1950s alongside etonitazene and a range of related derivatives.[1] It is many times less potent than etonitazene itself, but still 70x more potent than morphine in animal studies. Corresponding analogues where the N,N-diethyl group is replaced by piperidine or pyrrolidine rings also retain significant activity (10x and 20x morphine respectively).[2] Etodesnitazene has been sold as a designer drug,[3] first being identified in both Poland and Finland in March 2020.[4][5]
^Ujváry I, Christie R, Evans-Brown M, Gallegos A, Jorge R, de Morais J, Sedefov R (April 2021). "DARK Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: Etonitazene and Related Benzimidazoles". ACS Chemical Neuroscience. 12 (7): 1072–1092. doi:10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00037. PMID33760580. S2CID232356192.
^Hunger A, Kebrle J, Rossi A, Hoffmann K (1960). "Benzimidazol-Derivate und verwandte Heterocyclen. II. Synthese von 1-Aminoalkyl-2-benzyl-benzimidazolen". Helvetica Chimica Acta (in German). 43 (3): 800–809. doi:10.1002/hlca.19600430323.