Alpidem

Alpidem (Ananxyl) is an anxiolytic drug from the imidazopyridine family, related to the more well known sleeping medication zolpidem. Unlike zolpidem however, alpidem does not produce sedative effects at normal doses, and is instead used specifically for the treatment of anxiety.
Alpidem was developed by Synthélabo (now part of Sanofi-Aventis). It was approved for marketing in France in 1991. Clinical trials to obtain US FDA approval were halted in 1992 and the drug never received FDA approval. It was withdrawn from the French market by 1994 and is not approved for marketing anywhere in the world.
Alpidem has nanomolar binding affinity for both the central benzodiazepine receptor (CBR) and the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) (translocator protein 18 kDa) (PBR (Ki ) 0.5-7 nM) and CBR (Ki ) 1-28 nM, respectively). However the chemical structure of alpidem is not related to that of the benzodiazepines, and alpidem is thus sometimes referred to as a nonbenzodiazepine.
Indications.
Alpidem is not approved for any indication.
Use prior to removal from market.
Alpidem was generally prescribed to patients with moderate to severe anxiety. Most of these patients had exhibited either sensitivity or resistance to benzodiazepine therapy, and therefore switched to a non-benzodiazepine medication due to the reduced incidence of side effects relative to benzodiazepine drugs. Alpidem produced little or no sedative or hypnotic action at normal doses but may have produced sedation when used at a high dose, and only had anticonvulsant actions at much higher doses than those used clinically for the treatment of anxiety.
Dangers.
In 1995, Alpidem was withdrawn from the market in most of the world following reports of severe liver damage.