SR-14968

SR-14968 is a drug which acts as a biased agonist at the μ-opioid receptor, selective for activation of the G-protein signalling pathway over β-arrestin 2 recruitment. It is closely related to other compounds such as brorphine and SR-17018. Similarly to brorphine, SR-14968 shows robust biased agonist activity in vitro, but in animal studies in vivo behaves more like a typical opioid agonist at higher dose ranges, though still with a superior safety profile compared to unbiased agonists such as fentanyl. Compounds of this class are under development as potential analgesic medications with lower risk of overdose and drug dependence compared to traditional opioid drugs.