Schedules of Controlled Substances: Placement of Furanyl Fentanyl, 4- Fluoroisobutyryl Fentanyl, Acryl Fentanyl, Tetrahydrofuranyl fentanyl, and Ocfentanil in Schedule I. Final order.

With the issuance of this final order, the Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration maintains the placement of the substances furanyl fentanyl [N-(1- phenethylpiperidin-4-yl)-Nphenylfuran- 2-carboxamide], 4- fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl or parafluoroisobutyryl fentanyl [N-(4- fluorophenyl)-N-(1-phenethylpiperidin- 4-yl)isobutyramide], acryl fentanyl or acryloylfentanyl [N-(1- phenethylpiperidin-4-yl)-Nphenylacrylamide], tetrahydrofuranyl fentanyl [N-(1-phenethylpiperidin-4-yl)- N-phenyltetrahydrofuran-2- carboxamide], and ocfentanil [N-(2- fluorophenyl)-2-methoxy-N-(1- phenethylpiperidin-4-yl)acetamide], including their isomers, esters, ethers, salts, and salts of isomers, esters and ethers, in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. This scheduling action discharges the United States obligations under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961). This action continues to impose the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, import, export, engage in research or conduct instructional activities with, or possess), or propose to handle, furanyl fentanyl, 4- fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl, acryl fentanyl, tetrahydrofuranyl fentanyl, and ocfentanil.

Control of immediate precursor used in the illicit manufacture of fentanyl as a schedule II controlled substance. Final rule.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is designating the precursor chemical, 4-anilino-N-phenethyl-4-piperidine (ANPP) as an immediate precursor for the schedule II controlled substance fentanyl under the definition set forth in 21 U.S.C. 802(23). Furthermore, DEA is finalizing the control of ANPP as a schedule II substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), pursuant to the authority in 21 U.S.C. 811(e), which states that an immediate precursor may be placed in the same schedule as the controlled substance it produces, without regard to the procedures required by 21 U.S.C. 811(a) and (b) and without regard to the findings required by 21 U.S.C. 811(a) and 812(b). ANPP is the immediate chemical intermediary in the synthesis process currently used by clandestine laboratory operators for the illicit manufacture of the schedule II controlled substance fentanyl. In 2005 and 2006, the distribution of illicitly manufactured fentanyl caused an unprecedented outbreak of hundreds of fentanyl-related overdoses in the United States. DEA believes that the control of ANPP as a schedule II controlled substance is necessary to prevent its diversion as an immediate chemical intermediary for the illicit production of fentanyl.

Optimization of biaryl piperidine and 4-amino-2-biarylurea MCH1 receptor antagonists using QSAR modeling, classification techniques and virtual screening.

This paper presents the results of an optimization study on biaryl piperidine and 4-amino-2-biarylurea MCH1 receptor antagonists, which was accomplished by using quantitative-structure activity relationships (QSARs), classification and virtual screening techniques. First, a linear QSAR model was developed using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) Analysis, while the Elimination Selection-Stepwise Regression (ES-SWR) method was adopted for selecting the most suitable input variables. The predictive activity of the model was evaluated using an external validation set and the Y-randomization technique. Based on the selected descriptors, the Support Vector Machines (SVM) classification technique was utilized to classify data into two categories: "actives" or "non-actives". Several attempts were made to optimize the scaffold of most potent compounds by inducing various structural modifications. Potential derivatives with improved activities were identified, as they were classified "actives" by the SVM classifier. Their activities were estimated using the produced MLR model. A detailed analysis on the model applicability domain defined the compounds, whose estimations can be accepted with confidence.

Interaction of the indole class of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase inhibitors with lipid bilayers.

The selective inhibitor of osteoclastic V-ATPase (2Z,4E)-5-(5,6-dichloro-2-indolyl)-2-methoxy-N-(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethylpiperidin-4-yl)-2,4-pentadienamide (SB 242784), member of the indole class of V-ATPase inhibitors, is expected to target the membrane-bound domain of the enzyme. A structural study of the interaction of this inhibitor with the lipidic environment is an essential step in the understanding of the mechanism of inhibition. In this work, a comprehensive study of the relevant features of this interaction was performed. Inhibitor partition coefficients to lipid vesicles as well as its transverse location, orientation (order parameters), and dynamics while bound to bilayers were determined through photophysical techniques, taking advantage of the intrinsic fluorescence of the molecule. To better evaluate the functionally relevant features of SB 242784, a second inhibitor, INH-1, from the same class and having a reduced activity was also examined. It is shown that regarding membrane interaction their properties remain very similar for both molecules, suggesting that the differences in inhibition efficiencies are solely a consequence of the molecular recognition processes within the inhibition site in the V-ATPase.

Discovery of N-(2-aryl-cyclohexyl) substituted spiropiperidines as a novel class of GlyT1 inhibitors.

Screening of the Roche compound library led to the identification of cis-N-(2-phenyl-cyclohexyl)-spiropiperidine 1 as structurally novel GlyT1 inhibitor. The SAR, which was developed in this series, resulted in the discovery of highly potent compounds displaying excellent selectivity against the GlyT2 isoform.

Discovery of N-(2-hydroxy-2-aryl-cyclohexyl) substituted spiropiperidines as GlyT1 antagonists with improved pharmacological profile.

During SAR exploration of N-(2-aryl-cyclohexyl) substituted spiropiperidine as GlyT1 inhibitors, it was found that introduction of an hydroxy group in position 2 of the cyclohexyl residue considerably improves the pharmacological profile. In particular, reduction of the binding affinity at the nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide and the mu opioid receptors was achieved.

3,5-Bicyclic aryl piperidines: a novel class of alpha4beta2 neuronal nicotinic receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation.

3,5-Bicyclic aryl piperidines are a new class of high-affinity alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptor agents. We have sought nicotinic receptor partial agonists of the alpha4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor for smoking cessation, and a number of compounds fulfill potency, selectivity, and efficacy requirements in vitro. In vivo, selected agents demonstrate potent partial agonist efficacy on the mesolimbic dopamine system, a key measure of therapeutic potential for smoking cessation.

Repaglinide--a new compound for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Repaglinide is a new oral blood glucose lowering agent, a member of the carbamoylmethyl benzoic acid (CMBA) family. Its mechanism of action is partly similar to that of the sulphonylurea: the release of insulin from the pancreatic beta cells is stimulated by closure of ATP-dependent potassium channels. However, repaglinide regulates these channels via a different binding site on the beta cell than glibenclamide, and the drug does not cause insulin release in the absence of glucose, or during voltage-clamping. After oral administration the drug is rapidly absorbed and eliminated. It is therefore used in a meal-related dosing regimen; repaglinide is taken with each main meal. This meal-related use may give a more physiological mimick of daytime insulin requirement than once-daily or twice-daily use of sulphonylurea. Patients using repaglinide are less likely to develop hypoglycaemic symptoms when they miss or postpone a meal in comparison with patients on glibenclamide treatment. In long-term comparative phase 3 clinical studies it was found that repaglinide is equally effective in maintaining glycaemic control as existing sulphonylurea, but it gives significantly better control of postprandial blood glucose levels. Repaglinide can be used as monotherapy both in obese and non-obese type 2 diabetic patients, and is also very effective in combination with drugs like metformin or thiazolidines. Because of its excretion through liver and bile it is also an attractive drug for diabetic patients with diminished kidney function, especially the elderly diabetic. Although the overall incidence of hypoglycaemia was similar during use of repaglinide and of sulphonylurea, fewer serious hypoglycaemic episodes were observed in repaglinide-treated patients.

Profiles of aprindine, cibenzoline, pilsicainide and pirmenol in the framework of the Sicilian Gambit. The Guideline Committee for Clinical Use of Antiarrhythmic Drugs in Japan (Working Group of Arrhythmias of the Japanese Society of Electrocardiology).

The Vaughan Williams classification has been used widely by clinicians, cardiologists and researchers engaged in antiarrhythmic drug development and testing in many countries throughout the world since its initial proposal in the early 1970s. However, a major criticism of the Vaughan Williams system arose from the extent to which the categorization of drugs into classes I-IV led to oversimplified views of both shared and divergent actions. The Sicilian Gambit proposed a two-dimensional tabular framework for display of drug actions to solve these problems. From April to December 1996, members of the Guideline Committee met to discuss pharmacologic profiles of 4 antiarrhythmic drugs (aprindine, cibenzoline, pilsicainide, and pirmenol) that were not included in the original spreadsheet but are used widely in clinical practice in Japan. The discussion aimed to fit the drug profiles into the Gambit framework based on all the important literature published to date regarding the actions of the 4 drugs. This report is a summary of that deliberation.