THE HISTORY OF METHADONE

As a synthetic opioid, methadone is used for treating addiction to narcotics and it is also medically used as analgesic. Eli Lilly and Company was the first firm to bring it in to the market.

German scientists Gustav Ehrhart and Max Bockmühl first created this drug in the year 1937 at IG Farben (Hoechst-Am-Main) when they were in look for a drug, which will be more effective than morphine (and less addictive after the surgery), for operations.  Under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs [1], methadone has been categorized in Schedule II.

These two scientists filed for patent on 11^th September 1941 for a synthetic material they referred to as polamidon or Hoechst 10820. The structure of methadone was not associated with opioid alkaloids or morphine. Methadone acts on the opioids receptors even though it isn’t like heroin or morphine chemically. Therefore, this drug can cause many similar effects like morphine or heroin.

Although methadone is also used in treating chronic pain (as it is reasonable in cost and can last for a long time), it is best known for handling addiction to narcotics. Methadone’s previous name Dolophine was derived from German Dolphium. Dolor is a Latin word, which means ‘pain’ whereas phine refers to ‘end’.