This page lists chemical compounds similar to

modafinil Modafinil, sold under the brand name Provigil among others, is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and wakefulness-promoting agent, eugeroic (wakefulness promoter) medication used primarily to treat narcolepsy, a sleep disorder characteri ...

, known as modafinil analogues and derivatives. These are

structural analogue A structural analog, also known as a chemical analog or simply an analog, is a compound having a structure similar to that of another compound, but differing from it in respect to a certain component. It can differ in one or more atoms, function ...

s and

derivative In mathematics, the derivative is a fundamental tool that quantifies the sensitivity to change of a function's output with respect to its input. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is t ...

s of modafinil, a drug that affects

dopamine Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. It is an amine synthesized ...

levels in the brain in an unusual way (atypical

dopamine reuptake inhibitor A dopamine reuptake inhibitor (DRI) is a class of drug which acts as a reuptake inhibitor of the monoamine neurotransmitter dopamine by blocking the action of the dopamine transporter (DAT). Reuptake inhibition is achieved when extracellular dop ...

or DRI). Modafinil is a drug that helps keep people awake and alert (

wakefulness-promoting agent A wakefulness-promoting agent (WPA), or wake-promoting agent, is a drug that increases wakefulness and arousal. They are similar to but distinct from psychostimulants, which not only promote wakefulness but also produce other more overt central ...

or "

eugeroic A eugeroic, or eugregoric, is a type of drug that increases wakefulness. The term has been used inconsistently and in multiple ways in the scientific literature, either to refer specifically to modafinil-type wakefulness-promoting agents or to ...

"). Most of the listed modafinil analogues are drugs that specifically target dopamine

reuptake Reuptake is the reabsorption of a neurotransmitter by a neurotransmitter transporter located along the plasma membrane of an axon terminal (i.e., the pre-synaptic neuron at a synapse) or glial cell after it has performed its function of transmi ...

(reabsorption of a

neurotransmitter A neurotransmitter is a signaling molecule secreted by a neuron to affect another cell across a Chemical synapse, synapse. The cell receiving the signal, or target cell, may be another neuron, but could also be a gland or muscle cell. Neurotra ...

by a

neurotransmitter transporter Neurotransmitter transporters are a class of membrane transport proteins that span the cellular membranes of neurons. Their primary function is to carry neurotransmitters across these membranes and to direct their further transport to specific intr ...

) with stronger effects ( selective DRIs with improved

potency Potency may refer to: * Potency (pharmacology), a measure of the activity of a drug in a biological system * Virility * Cell potency, a measure of the differentiation potential of stem cells * In homeopathic dilutions, potency is a measure of ho ...

) compared to modafinil. The modafinil analogues are of interest in the potential treatment of a condition involving the misuse of

stimulant Stimulants (also known as central nervous system stimulants, or psychostimulants, or colloquially as uppers) are a class of drugs that increase alertness. They are used for various purposes, such as enhancing attention, motivation, cognition, ...

drugs ( psychostimulant use disorder or PSUD), as drugs that help increase

motivation Motivation is an mental state, internal state that propels individuals to engage in goal-directed behavior. It is often understood as a force that explains why people or animals initiate, continue, or terminate a certain behavior at a particul ...

(

pro-motivational agents A motivation-enhancing drug, also known as a pro-motivational drug, is a drug which increases motivation. Drugs enhancing motivation can be used in the treatment of motivational deficits, for instance in depression, schizophrenia, and attentio ...

) to treat motivational disorders, and for treatment of

neurodegenerative disease A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Neuronal damage may also ultimately result in their death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, mul ...

s such as

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. Modafinil analogues acting as DRIs include both drugs similar to modafinil that affect dopamine without causing stimulant effects (atypical modafinil-like non-psychostimulant DRIs) such as

flmodafinil Flmodafinil (developmental code names CRL-40,940, NLS-4, JBG01-41), also known as bisfluoromodafinil and lauflumide, is a wakefulness-promoting agent related to modafinil which has been developed for treatment of a variety of different medical ...

and JJC8-016 and drugs that affect dopamine in a way similar to

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

(classical or typical cocaine-like DRIs) such as JJC8-088. Besides their potential medical use, modafinil analogues, including

adrafinil Adrafinil, sold under the brand name Olmifon, is a wakefulness-promoting medication that was formerly used in France to improve alertness, attention, wakefulness, and mood, particularly in the elderly. It was also used off-label by individuals w ...

, fladrafinil, and modafiendz, are also sold online as substances that are believed to improve cognitive functions such as memory and focus (

nootropic Nootropics ( or ) (colloquially brain supplements, smart drugs, cognitive enhancers, memory enhancers, or brain boosters) are chemical substances which purportedly improve cognitive functions, such as attention, memory, wakefulness, and self ...

s or " cognitive enhancers"). A limitation of some modafinil analogues such as JJC8-016 is blocking a specific protein (

hERG hERG (the human '' Ether-à-go-go''-Related Gene) is a gene () that codes for a protein known as Kv11.1, the alpha subunit of a potassium ion channel. This ion channel (sometimes simply denoted as 'hERG') is best known for its contribution t ...

) that can lead to heart problems (potent

inhibition Inhibitor or inhibition may refer to: Biology * Enzyme inhibitor, a substance that binds to an enzyme and decreases the enzyme's activity * Reuptake inhibitor, a substance that increases neurotransmission by blocking the reuptake of a neurotransm ...

of the hERG antitarget and predicted

cardiotoxicity Cardiotoxicity is the occurrence of heart dysfunction as electric or muscle damage, resulting in heart toxicity. This can cause heart failure, arrhythmia, myocarditis, and cardiomyopathy in patients. Some effects are reversible, while in others, p ...

List of modafinil analogues and derivatives

Adrafinil Adrafinil, sold under the brand name Olmifon, is a wakefulness-promoting medication that was formerly used in France to improve alertness, attention, wakefulness, and mood, particularly in the elderly. It was also used off-label by individuals w ...

(Olmifon, CRL-40028, ''N''-hydroxymodafinil) –

prodrug A prodrug is a pharmacologically inactive medication or compound that, after intake, is metabolized (i.e., converted within the body) into a pharmacologically active drug. Instead of administering a drug directly, a corresponding prodrug can be ...

of modafinil * CE-103 – DRI * CE-111 – DRI * CE-123 (or as (''S'')-CE-123) – DRI * CE-125 – DRI * CE-158 (or as (''S'',''S'')-CE-158) – DRI * Cinfenine – abandoned

antidepressant Antidepressants are a class of medications used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain, and addiction. Common side effects of antidepressants include Xerostomia, dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, headaches, akathi ...

and coronary vasodilator (similar in structure to JJC8-016) * CT-005094 (CT-0050904) – atypical DRI * CT-005404 (CT-5404) – atypical DRI * Fladrafinil (CRL-40941, fluorafinil, bisfluoroadrafinil) – modafinil-like agent, little-characterized (but possible

) *

Flmodafinil Flmodafinil (developmental code names CRL-40,940, NLS-4, JBG01-41), also known as bisfluoromodafinil and lauflumide, is a wakefulness-promoting agent related to modafinil which has been developed for treatment of a variety of different medical ...

(CRL-40940, NLS-4, JBG01-41, bisfluoromodafinil, lauflumide) – atypical DRI ** (''S'')-(+)-Flmodafinil (JBG1-048) – atypical DRI ** (''R'')-(–)-Flmodafinil (JBG1-049) – atypical DRI * GC03-04 – DRI * GC04-38 – DRI * JJC8-016 – poorly selective atypical DRI * JJC8-087 – DRI * JJC8-088 – classical/typical or

-like DRI *

JJC8-089 JJC8-089 is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor (DRI) that was chemical derivative, derived from modafinil and is related to JJC8-016, JJC8-088, and JJC8-091. Its affinity (pharmacology), affinity (Ki) for the dopamine transporter (DAT) is 37.8nM, for ...

– DRI *

JJC8-091 JJC8-091 is an atypical dopamine reuptake inhibitor (DRI) that was chemical derivative, derived from modafinil. It is a lead chemical compound, compound for potential treatment of psychostimulant use disorder (PSUD) and is under development by E ...

– atypical DRI * (''S'')-MK-26 – atypical DRI * Modafiendz (methylbisfluoromodafinil) – modafinil-like agent, little-characterized *

Modafinil Modafinil, sold under the brand name Provigil among others, is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and wakefulness-promoting agent, eugeroic (wakefulness promoter) medication used primarily to treat narcolepsy, a sleep disorder characteri ...

(Provigil, Alertec, Modavigil, CRL-40476) – atypical DRI, other actions **

Armodafinil Armodafinil, sold under the brand name Nuvigil, is a wakefulness-promoting medication which is used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness associated with obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and shift work disorder. It is also used off-label ...

(Nuvigil, CRL-40982, CEP-10952, (''R'')-modafinil) – atypical DRI ** Esmodafinil (CRL-40983, (''S'')-modafinil) – atypical DRI *

Modafinil acid Modafinil acid (code name CRL-40467), also known as modafinilic acid or modafinil carboxylate, is one of the two major metabolites of modafinil – the other being modafinil sulfone. Modafinil acid is also a metabolite of the modafinil prodrug, ...

(modafinilic acid, CRL-40467) – inactive

metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

of modafinil *

Modafinil sulfone Modafinil sulfone (code name CRL-41056) is an achiral, oxidized metabolite of modafinil, a wakefulness-promoting agent. It is one of two major circulating metabolites of modafinil, the other being modafinil acid. Modafinil sulfone is also a meta ...

(CRL-41056) – metabolite of modafinil with

anticonvulsant Anticonvulsants (also known as antiepileptic drugs, antiseizure drugs, or anti-seizure medications (ASM)) are a diverse group of pharmacological agents used in the treatment of epileptic seizures. Anticonvulsants are also used in the treatme ...

effects but otherwise inactive * RDS03-94 (RDS3-094) – atypical DRI * RDS04-010 (RDS04-10, RDS4-010) – DRI In addition to the above, further modafinil analogues have also been described.

References

{{Chemical classes of psychoactive drugs Chemical classes of psychoactive drugs Designer drugs Dopamine reuptake inhibitors Lists of drugs Nootropics Stimulants Wakefulness-promoting agents