Mesterolone is an androgen receptor agonist which was developed for hormone replacement therapy in males suffering from androgen deficiency and related disorders. Mesterolone is known under the name Proviron. The drug is also used by bodybuilders and athletes.

Lodenafil carbonate, a novel phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor developed in Brazil. Lodenafil carbonate is a prodrug that is metabolized with formation of the active compound, lodenafil. Lodenafil carbonate participated in phase III clinical trial for erectile dysfunction and showed a satisfactory efficacy-safety profile.

Phenibut (beta-phenyl-gamma-aminobutyric acid or 4-amino-3-phenylbutyric acid) is a neuropsychotropic drug that was discovered and introduced into clinical practice in Russia in the 1960s. It has anxiolytic and nootropic (cognition enhancing) effects. It acts as a GABA-mimetic, primarily at GABA(B) receptors. Pharmacological activity of racemic phenibut relies on R-phenibut and this correlates to the binding affinity of enantiomers of phenibut to the GABAB receptor. In addition R-phenibut binds to the α2-δ subunit of voltage-dependent calcium channels. It is highly effective in treating anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, asthenia, insomnia, alcoholism, stuttering, and vestibular disorders. It also improves mental performance (attention, memory, speed and accuracy of sensory-motor reactions), physical performance, reduces sleep disorders as well as movement and speech disorders.

Mestanolone is an oral analogue of dihydrotestosterone. This steroid is a 17-alpha methylated form of this potent endogenous androgen, being essentially (in structure) to dihydrotestosterone what methyltestosterone is to testosterone. Overall, mestanolone has an activity profile not very dissimilar from the hormone it is derived from. Like dihydrotestosterone, mestanolone is primarily androgenic in nature, displaying a low level of anabolic activity. Both dihydrotestosterone and mestanolone are also devoid of estrogenic activity. Dihydrotestosterone was synthesized in 1935. After that 17-alpha-methylated version also appeared. This steroid was not frequently used in clinical medicine. It was produced under the name of ermalon for short period of time. Most studies involving mestanolone were carried out in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s it was used as part of the East German doping machine. Mestanolone was evaluated not for its anabolic ability but for its androgenic essence. It improved the functioning of the CNS and neuromuscular interaction. Athletes claimed that it did not make them huge, but gave them speed, strength, aggression, stamina and resistance to stress. Mestanolone is still valued as an oral androgen.

Phenazepam belongs to the 1,4-benzodiazepines, the same family of medicines to which diazepam, oxazepam and temazepam belong. Phenazepam was first synthesized and developed in 1975 in the former Soviet Union where it became one of the most prescribed benzodiazepines since 1978 to treat sleep disorder, anxiety, alcohol use disorder and epilepsy. Phenazepam has not been licensed elsewhere in the world. The actions of phenazepam are mediated by the GABAA-receptor and reversed by the selective benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil. In vitro, phenazepam and its metabolite 3-hydroxyphenazepam potentiate GABA responses with EC50-values of 6.1 nM and 10.3 nM, respectively, comparable to the value of 13.5 nM for diazepam. In vivo, phenazepam induces pronounced myorelaxation in the rotarod test with an ED50-value of 2.48 (1.65-3.72) mg/kg, and at 10 mg/kg it decreases punished responding in the conflict test (conflict between drinking motivation and painful electrical stimuli). Phenazepam increases the duration of sleep induced by hexanal several fold and is in this respect superior to diazepam. Both phenazepam and 3-hydroxyphenazepam are full GABAA receptor agonists.

Nimetazepam (Erimin) is an intermediate-acting hypnotic drug which is a benzodiazepine derivative. It was first synthesized in 1962 in Japan. It does possess hypnotic, anxiolytic, sedative, and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. Nimetazepam is also an anticonvulsant. It is sold in 5 mg tablets known as Erimin. It is generally prescribed for the treatment of short-term severe insomnia in patients who have difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep. Nimetazepam is currently a Schedule IV drug under the international Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971. In Singapore, nimetazepam is a class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. In Hong Kong, nimetazepam is regulated under Schedule 1 of Hong Kong's Chapter 134 Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. Nimetazepam can only be used legally by health professionals and for university research purposes.

Etizolam is an analogue of benzodiazepine that contains thienotriazolodiazepine group. The drug was developed and approved in Japan and now is used in Japan, Italy and India for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Etizolam exerts its action through activation of GABA A receptors, moreover, the agonistic behavior was shown on isolated neurons. There are several cases when etizolam dependence was reported. In many countries the drug is recognized as a psychoactive substance and its distribution is illegal there.

Acadesine (INN), also known as 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside, AICA-riboside, and AICAR, is an AMP-activated protein kinase activator which is used for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and may have applications in treating other disorders such as mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). The mechanism by which acadesine selectively kills B-cells is not yet fully elucidated. The action of acadesine does not require the tumour suppressor protein p53 like other treatments. This is important, as p53 is often missing or defective in cancerous B-cells. Studies have shown acadesine activates AMPK and induces apoptosis in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells but not in T lymphocytes. Antiapoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family regulate MCL cell sensitivity to acadesine and combination of this agent with Bcl-2 inhibitors might be an interesting therapeutic option to treat MCL patients. Acadesine has anti-ischemic properties that is currently being studied (Phase 3) for the prevention of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Adenosine itself has many beneficial cardioprotective properties that may therefore be harnessed by this new class of drugs. Unlike adenosine, acadesine acts specifically at sites of ischemia and is therefore void of the systemic hemodynamic effects that may complicate adenosine therapy. Animal and in vitro studies have established acadesine as a promising new agent for attenuating ischemic and reperfusion damage to the myocardium. Acadesine also possesses the theoretical (but unproven) benefit of attenuating reperfusion injury after acute myocardial infarction (MI). Further research is needed to define the full potential of this unique agent in various clinical situations involving myocardial ischemia.