The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE) announces identification of flualprazolam

The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE) announces identification of flualprazolam.

Flualprazolam

Flualprazolam is classified as a novel benzodiazepine, although its synthesis and activity have been previously described in the literature.Benzodiazepines are central nervous system depressants. Novel benzodiazepines, often pirated from early drug discovery or pharmaceutical studies, have appeared on novel and illicit drug markets in recent years. These substances have caused adverse events, including death, as described in the literature. Flualprazolam is structurally similar to the traditional benzodiazepine alprazolam, a Schedule IV substance in the United States, as well as the novel benzodiazepines flunitrazolam, clonazolam, and flubromazolam.

Flualprazolam was added to the CFSRE library database in March 2019. Through data mining of datafiles acquired in 2018, flualprazolam was identified in a blood sample from March 2018. In June 2019, flualprazolam was identified in two additional blood samples through sample mining, a process that the CFSRE laboratory developed for real-time discovery and detection of NPS.