Valnoctamide

Valnoctamide

Valnoctamide, recognized by both the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) and the United States Adopted Name (USAN), is a sedative-hypnotic agent that has found therapeutic use in France since 1964. Its chemical identity is closely related to valpromide, a prodrug of valproic acid. Intriguingly, unlike valpromide, valnoctamide doesn't undergo metabolic transformation to produce its analogous acid, valnoctic acid, in vivo.

Indications

Beyond its primary role as a sedative, valnoctamide has been explored for multiple therapeutic indications:

• Epilepsy: Studies on valnoctamide as a potential anti-epileptic agent date back to 1969. Research efforts persisted into the 2000s, with significant investigations conducted in both 2000 and 2003.
• Neuropathic pain: A 2005 study spearheaded by Winkler et al. found that valnoctamide was promising in treating neuropathic pain. Compared to gabapentin, valnoctamide exhibited comparable efficacy, with the added benefits of negligible impact on motor coordination and alertness.
• Mania prophylaxis: Researchers RH Belmaker, Yuly Bersudsky, and Alex Mishory initiated a clinical trial to evaluate valnoctamide as a prophylactic agent against mania. The motivation for this was to find an alternative to the highly teratogenic valproic acid and its derivatives.

Side Effects

Valnoctamide is generally well-tolerated, presenting a mild side effect profile:

• Somnolence: Sleepiness or drowsiness.
• Motor impairments: Minor disruptions in motor coordination, though these effects are minimal, especially at therapeutic doses.

Interactions

One notable drug interaction associated with valnoctamide involves its capability to augment the serum levels of carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide, an active metabolite of the antiepileptic drug carbamazepine. This increment is attributed to the inhibition of epoxide hydrolase by valnoctamide, which can occasionally elevate the metabolite to toxic concentrations.

Chemistry

Chemically, valnoctamide is a racemic mixture comprising four distinct stereoisomers. All these stereoisomers have exhibited greater efficacy than valproic acid in animal models evaluating anti-epileptic activity. One particular stereoisomer, denoted as (2S,3S)-valnoctamide, was pinpointed by Isoherranen et al. in August 2003 as a particularly promising candidate for anticonvulsant therapy.

See Also

• Valpromide
• Valproic Acid
• Sedative-Hypnotic Agents
• Epilepsy
• Neuropathic Pain
• Teratogenicity
• Carbamazepine