Adrogolide is a chemically stable prodrug of the dopamine D1 receptor agonist A-86929. Adrogolide is rapidly converted in plasma to A-86929. A-86929 has high affinity and functional selectivity for the dopamine D1 receptor. Adrogolide has been in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and cocaine abuse. However, this research has been discontinued. The adverse events associated with its use of adrogolide were of mild-to-moderate severity and included injection site reaction, asthenia, headache, nausea, vomiting, postural hypotension, vasodilitation, and dizziness.

Alkeus Pharma's lead compound, ALK-001, is an oral compound with a well-understood mechanism of action. ALK-001 was specifically designed to prevent the formation of these toxic vitamin A dimers in the eye. ALK-001 is a chemically-modified vitamin A, in which 3 hydrogen atoms have been replaced by 3 deuterium atoms at carbon number 20. Replacing the retina's vitamin A with ALK-001 slows the formation of toxic vitamin A dimers. ALK-001 is in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of Stargardt's disease. The compound was co-developed by Alkeus Pharmaceuticals and Columbia University.

Phencyclidine is an illegal, hallucinogenic drug that was initially used as an anesthetic agent in the 1950s and early 1960s, but was then withdrawn in 1965 because of dissociative hallucinogenic effects that were often disturbing and sometimes severe and prolonged. Phencyclidine is a noncompetitive NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonist and glutamate receptor antagonist, but also interacts with other receptor sites, and may have effects with dopamine, opioid and nicotinic receptors. Phencyclidine disrupts the functioning of receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate, which plays a major role in the perception of pain as well as in learning, memory, and emotion. It also influences the actions of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which causes the euphoria associated with drug use. Phencyclidine overdose deaths may occur after taking a large dose, though many phencyclidine related deaths result from delusions and other psychological consequences of the drug’s use. There have been reports of death due to accidental drowning, leaping from high places, and motor vehicle accidents in addition to violent episodes of self-mutilation, suicides, and homicides.