AMB-FUBINACA (also known as FUB-AMB and MMB-FUBINACA) is an
indazole
Indazole, also called isoindazole, is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound. This bicyclic compound consists of the fusion of benzene and pyrazole.
Indazole is an amphoteric molecule which can be protonated to an indazolium cation or deproton ...
-based
synthetic cannabinoid
Synthetic cannabinoids are a class of designer drug molecules that bind to the same receptors to which cannabinoids (THC, CBD and many others) in cannabis plants attach. These novel psychoactive substances should not be confused with synthetic ...
that is a potent
agonist
An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ago ...
for the
cannabinoid receptor
Cannabinoid receptors, located throughout the body, are part of the endocannabinoid system a class of cell membrane receptors in the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. As is typical of G protein-coupled receptors, the cannabinoid recepto ...
s, with
''K''i values of 10.04 nM at
CB1 and 0.786 nM at
CB2 and
EC50 values of 0.5433 nM at CB
1 and 0.1278 nM at CB
2, and has been sold online as a
designer drug
A designer drug is a structural or functional analog of a controlled substance that has been designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, while avoiding classification as illegal and/or detection in standard drug tests. Des ...
. It was originally developed by Pfizer which described the compound in a patent in 2009, but was later abandoned and never tested on humans.
AMB-FUBINACA was the most common synthetic cannabinoid identified in drug seizures by the
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within th ...
in 2017 and the first half of 2018.
Mass casualties
On July 12, 2016, the
New York City Emergency Medical Services responded
to a "mass casualty event" in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
[ where 33 people ranging in age from 25 to 59 years old were adversely affected by the drug.][ 18 were hospitalized.][ All of the victims were described by-standers as “zombielike” and the cause was attributed to use of AMB-FUBINACA as the demethylated metabolite was found in the blood and urine of eight of the hospitalized patients that had been sent for testing by the DEA. Screening for the more usual drugs of abuse was negative in all 8 patients. AMB-FUBINACA itself was found in a sample from the product smoked by another patient. The metabolite was identified after 10 days and the AMB-FUBINACA was only confirmed 17 days after the incident.][
Around 60 deaths in New Zealand were attributed to either AMB-FUBINACA or a related compound ]5F-ADB
5F-ADB (also known as 5F-MDMB-PINACA) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid from the indazole-3-carboxamide family, which has been used as an active ingredient in synthetic cannabis products and has been sold online as a designer drug. 5F-A ...
during 2017–2018, with tested products containing between 32 mg/g and 400 mg/g of the active ingredient, between 2x to 25x stronger than the product involved in the mass casualty event in New York a year earlier.
Legal status
In the United States, AMB-FUBINACA is a Schedule I Controlled Substance
This is the list of Schedule I drugs as defined by the United States Controlled Substances Act. 21 CFRbr>1308.11(CSA Sched I) with changes through (Oct 18, 2012). Retrieved September 6, 2013. The following findings are required for drugs to be pl ...
. Prior to being scheduled at the federal level, the state of Louisiana banned AMB-FUBINACA through an emergency rule after it was detected in a synthetic cannabis
Synthetic cannabinoids are a class of designer drug molecules that bind to the same receptors to which cannabinoids (THC, CBD and many others) in cannabis plants attach. These novel psychoactive substances should not be confused with synthetic ...
product called "Train Wreck 2" which had been linked to adverse events and seizures on 3 June 2014.
Sweden's public health agency suggested classifying AMB-FUBINACA as a hazardous substance on November 10, 2014.
See also
* 5F-AB-PINACA
5F-AB-PINACA is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid that is derived from a series of compounds originally developed by Pfizer in 2009 as an analgesic medication, and has been sold online as a designer drug.
5F-AB-PINACA has been reported to ...
* 5F-ADB
5F-ADB (also known as 5F-MDMB-PINACA) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid from the indazole-3-carboxamide family, which has been used as an active ingredient in synthetic cannabis products and has been sold online as a designer drug. 5F-A ...
* 5F-AMB
5F-AMB (also known as 5F-MMB-PINACA and 5F-AMB-PINACA) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid from the indazole-3-carboxamide family, which has been used as an active ingredient in synthetic cannabis products. It was first identified in Japa ...
* 5F-APINACA
5F-APINACA (also known as 5F-AKB-48 or 5F-AKB48) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid that has been sold online as a designer drug. Structurally it closely resembles cannabinoid compounds from patent WO 2003/035005 but with a 5-fluoropenty ...
* AB-CHFUPYCA
* AB-FUBINACA
AB-FUBINACA is a drug that acts as a potent agonist for the cannabinoid receptors, with ''K''i values of 0.9 nM at CB1 and 23.2 nM at CB2 and EC50 values of 1.8 nM at CB1 and 3.2 nM at CB2. It was originally developed by P ...
* AB-PINACA
AB-PINACA is a compound that was first identified as a component of synthetic cannabis products in Japan in 2012.
It was originally developed by Pfizer in 2009 as an analgesic medication.
AB-PINACA acts as a potent agonist for the CB1 recepto ...
* ADB-CHMINACA
ADB-CHMINACA (also known as MAB-CHMINACA) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid. It is a potent agonist of the CB1 receptor with a binding affinity of ''K''i = 0.289 nM and was originally developed by Pfizer in 2009 as an ana ...
* ADB-FUBINACA
ADB-FUBINACA is a designer drug identified in synthetic cannabis blends in Japan in 2013. In 2018, it was the third-most common synthetic cannabinoid identified in drugs seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The (''S'')-enantiomer of A ...
* ADB-PINACA
ADB-PINACA is a cannabinoid designer drug that is an ingredient in some synthetic cannabis products. It is a potent agonist of the CB1 receptor and CB2 receptor with EC50 values of 0.52 nM and 0.88 nM respectively. Like MDMB-FUBINAC ...
* ADSB-FUB-187
ADSB-FUB-187 is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid. It is a potent agonist of the CB1 receptor with a binding affinity of ''K''i = 0.09 nM and an EC50 of 1.09 nM. It was originally developed by Pfizer in 2009, being ex ...
* APINACA
APINACA (AKB48, ''N''-(1-adamantyl)-1-pentyl-1''H''-indazole-3-carboxamide) is a drug that acts as a reasonably potent agonist for the cannabinoid receptors, with a Ki of 304.5nM and an EC50 of 585nM at CB1. It had never previously been report ...
* MDMB-CHMICA
MDMB-CHMICA is an indole-based synthetic cannabinoid that is a potent agonist of the CB1 receptor and has been sold online as a designer drug. While MDMB-CHMICA was initially sold under the name "MMB-CHMINACA", the compound corresponding to this ...
* MDMB-CHMINACA
MDMB-CHMINACA (also known as MDMB(N)-CHM) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid that acts as a potent agonist of the CB1 receptor, and has been sold online as a designer drug. It was invented by Pfizer in 2008, and is one of the most potent ...
* MDMB-FUBINACA
MDMB-FUBINACA (also known as MDMB(N)-Bz-F and FUB-MDMB) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid that is a potent agonist for the cannabinoid receptors, with ''K''i values of 1.14 nM at CB1 and 0.1228 nM at CB2 and EC50 values of ...
* PX-2
PX-2 (also known as 5F-APP-PINACA, FU-PX and PPA(N)-2201) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid that has been sold online as a designer drug. It contains a phenylalanine amino acid amide as part of its structure.
Legality
Sweden's public he ...
* PX-3
PX-3 (also known as APP-CHMINACA) is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid. It is a potent agonist of the CB1 receptor with a binding affinity of ''K''i = 47.6 nM and was originally developed by Pfizer in 2009 as an analgesic m ...
References
{{Cannabinoids
Cannabinoids
Designer drugs
Fluoroarenes
Indazolecarboxamides