W-18 is a compound in a series of 32 substances (named W-1 to W-32) that were first synthesized in academic research on

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...

drug discovery In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which new candidate medications are discovered. Historically, drugs were discovered by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by ...

in the 1980s and appeared as a designer drug in the 2010s. W-18 was invented at the University of Alberta by a lab working on

in the 1980s, and preliminary studies in animals showed it had pain-killing activity in mice. The chemical was detected in connection with recreational drug use as substitute for other controlled substances in Europe in 2013, and in the United States. In Canada, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) seized four kilograms of W-18 in a drug bust in Edmonton in December 2015 and W-18 was also detected by

Health Canada Health Canada (HC; french: Santé Canada, SC)Health Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Health (). is the Structure of the Canadian federal government#Departments, with subsidiary unit ...

in at least three of 110 fentanyl tablets seized from a

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

home in August 2015. W-18 was commonly reported to be an opioid in the popular press in the 2010s, which was later revealed not to be correct. W-18 was found to obtain weak activity at both sigma receptors and the translocator protein (peripheral benzodiazepine receptor). It also inhibits the hERG potassium channel with micromolar affinity, which could potentially cause cardiac arrhythmia at high doses. * In Sweden, W-18 was made illegal in January 2016. * In Canada, W-18 and its analogues were made Schedule I controlled substances. Possession without legal authority can result in maximum 7 years imprisonment. Further,

amended the ''Food and Drug Regulations'' in May, 2016 to classify W-18 as a restricted drug. Only those with a law enforcement agency, person with an exemption permit or institutions with Minister's authorization may possess the drug.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:W-18 Chloroarenes Nitrobenzenes Piperidines Sigma receptor ligands Sulfonamides TSPO ligands

See also

References