Pharmacological and Clinical Evalualion of a new Benzodiazepine drug Rohypnol (flunitrazepam)

the continued use of bacbitu~ates and na~coticanalgesics, compounds with a narrow therapeutic indexand a considerable danger of addiction, can be seriouslyquestioned in view of the availability of newerhypnotics of at least equal effectiveness which lackt~ese undesirable properties.The place of flunitrazepam as a drug used inanaesthesia needs to be evaluated, since diazepam is nowwell established in its field, so this study was undertaken to determine its real place in anesthetic practice.The drug has been evaluated experimentally andclinically. The result of the experimental studies wasillustrated in figures and can be summarized as follows.In the in-vitro expeciments, the drug produceda dose dependant myocardial depressant effect on theisola ted rabbi t’ s heart and a dose dependent relaxanteffect on the smooth muscle of the isolated rabbit’sintestine. The effect of the drug on these preparationswere proved to be of a direct one and n~t through theautonomic receptors. The drug also produced a dosedependant myocardial depressant. effect on the toad’sheart. On the isola ted toad’s rectus abdomenspreparation, flunitrazepam proved to have no directeffect on the skeletal muscle preparation.