Dimdazenil

Dimdazenil (trade name Junoenil) is a pharmaceutical drug for insomnia. It is a benzodiazepine derivative and a partial positive allosteric modulator of the GABAA receptor with two- to four-fold higher functional affinity for the α1 subunit relative to the α2, α3, and α5 subunits.

Medical use
Dimdezenil shows effectiveness in the treatment of insomnia, but has less intrinsic activity in comparison to currently-marketed benzodiazepines and the Z-drugs; however, it is thought that the lower efficacy may result in fewer side effects, such as motor incoordination. In China, dimdezenil is approved for short-term treatment of insomnia.

History
Dimdezenil was originally developed by Roche, based on preclinical data, as a non-sedating anxiolytic, but was found to produce sedation in humans in phase I clinical trials. For this reason, it was subsequently licensed to Evotec, which is now developing it for the treatment of insomnia. By 2007, dimdezenil completed phase II clinical trials for this indication, with positive findings reported. In China, the drug was developed by Zhejiang Jingxin Pharmaceutical.