Eglumegad
Eglumegad (LY354740) is a research drug developed by Eli Lilly and Company, which is being investigated for its potential in the treatment of anxiety and drug addiction. It is a glutamate derived compound and its mode of action implies a novel mechanism.
Mechanism of action
Eglumegad acts as a group-selective agonist for the group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR2/3). It is unclear whether eglumegad directly interacts with dopamine D2 receptors.
Effects
In experiments on mice, eglumegad was found to be as effective as diazepam for treating anxiety symptoms in several standard tests, but without producing any of the negative side effects of diazepam such as sedation and memory impairment. Tests in humans confirmed that it produced anxiolytic effects without producing sedation. However it did slightly reduce cognitive performance in tests on monkeys.
Eglumegad has also been found to be effective in relieving the symptoms of withdrawal from chronic use of both nicotine and morphine in animals, as well as inhibiting the development of tolerance to morphine, raising hope that this drug may be useful for treating drug addiction in humans.
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