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Adrafinil (Olmifon) is a wakefulness-promoting agent (or ''eugeroic'') used to relieve excessive sleepiness and inattention. It is also used off-label by individuals wishing to avoid fatigue, such as night workers or others who need to stay awake and alert for long periods of time. Adrafinil is a prodrug; it is primarily metabolized ''in vivo'' to modafinil, resulting in nearly identical pharmacological effects. Unlike modafinil, however, it takes time for the metabolite to accumulate to active levels in the bloodstream. Effects usually are apparent within 45–60 minutes when taken orally on an empty stomach. Adrafinil does not currently have FDA approval and is thus unregulated in the United States. It was marketed in France and elsewhere in Europe under the trade name Olmifon until September 2011 when France's FDA-equivalent reassessed the drug and withdrew marketing permission, citing known adverse reactions and an unsatisfactory risk to benefit ratio.〔(''AFSSAPS Withdraws Marketing Support'' )〕 ==History== Adrafinil was discovered in the late 1970s by scientists working with the French pharmaceutical company Group Lafon. First offered in France in 1986 as an experimental treatment for narcolepsy, Lafon later developed modafinil, the primary metabolite of adrafinil. Even though the exact mechanism of action is unclear, "most investigators assume that adrafinil and modafinil both serve as α1-adrenergic receptor agonists." The evidence in support of this hypothesis is, however, weak and other mechanisms of action are probable.〔 Modafinil possesses greater selective α1-adrenergic activity than adrafinil, without many of adrafinil's common side effects (stomach pain, skin irritation, and anxiety). Group Lafon was acquired by Cephalon in 2001.〔url=http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=1366624〕 As of September 2011, Cephalon has discontinued Olmifon, its adrafinil product. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「adrafinil」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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