Levomoramide is the inactive

isomer In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formulae – that is, same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomerism is existence or possibility of isomers. Iso ...

of the opioid analgesic

dextromoramide Dextromoramide (Palfium, Palphium, Jetrium, Dimorlin) is a powerful opioid analgesic approximately three times more potent than morphine but shorter acting. It is subject to drug prohibition regimes, both internationally through UN treaties and b ...

, invented by the chemist

Paul Janssen Paul Adriaan Jan, Baron Janssen (12 September 1926 - 11 November 2003) was a Belgian physician. He was the founder of Janssen Pharmaceutica, a pharmaceutical company with over 20,000 employees which is now a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Ea ...

in 1956. Unlike dextromoramide, which is a potent analgesic with high abuse potential, levomoramide is virtually without activity. "Resolution reveals that the analgetic activity in this case resides almost entirely in the (+) isomer." "In the α-CH₃ series, one of the optical isomers of each enantiomorphic pair is about twice as active as the racemic mixture; the other isomer is devoid of significant analgesic activity." However, despite being inactive, levomoramide is scheduled by UN

Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 (Single Convention, 1961 Convention, or C61) is an international treaty that controls activities (cultivation, production, supply, trade, transport) of specific narcotic drugs and lays down a syst ...

References

Synthetic opioids 4-Morpholinyl compunds Pyrrolidines Carboxamides {{organic-compound-stub pl:Moramid