SR-17018, an experimental compound that users in online forums say helped them stop taking opioids, has been placed under emergency Schedule I control by the US Drug Enforcement Administration. The decision restricts access to the drug and makes planned research more difficult, even though its effects in people have not been established in clinical trials.
Research led by Laura Bohn and colleagues, published in Cell in 2017, found that SR-17018 and other compounds relieved pain in mice without causing respiratory depression. The researchers also reported that mice did not develop a high tolerance to SR-17018, and that morphine-dependent mice could use it to reset their tolerance without experiencing painful withdrawal. Bohn, a research leader at the University of South Florida Health, has been trying to arrange human studies, which have not yet taken place.
Meanwhile, some people who use drugs have described their experiences with the compound on Reddit, Discord and other online groups. Jim Bates, who says he had become dependent on MGM-15 after years of opioid use, told WIRED that he used SR-17018 to taper off the drug over about three weeks and did not experience physical withdrawal symptoms. Another former 7-OH user, identified only as Michael, said the compound eased anxiety, sweating and restlessness while he quit, allowing him to keep working.
These accounts are personal reports, not clinical evidence that SR-17018 is effective or safe for treating opioid dependence. Bates and Michael said they had also used methadone or buprenorphine, established treatments they preferred not to take long-term.
The DEA’s emergency action, announced in late August, puts SR-17018 in the same federal category as heroin, which the agency defines as having no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. The agency cited identifications of the compound in forensic drug samples and said it could be trafficked and abused like other synthetic opioids. It also warned that resetting opioid tolerance could leave someone more vulnerable to overdose if they use opioids again, a risk that can also follow abstinence.
Bohn said the restrictions prevent her from having the compound manufactured, shipped or handled for further safety studies. Denver attorney Robert Rush, who represents Bohn and sought to stop the emergency scheduling, argued that SR-17018 had not been linked to emergency room visits or overdose deaths. He said the DEA did not respond to his request.
The emergency scheduling is set to last two years, with a possible one-year extension. The DEA could make the classification permanent during that period, a process that would include public and scientific input. Rush said there is no opportunity for a judge to review the decision while the emergency order is in effect.
Sources: WIRED.