Pharmacological profile of flupirtine, a novel centrally acting, non-opioid analgesic drug.

Flupirtine is a new non-opioid, non-addicting centrally acting analgesic. In animals, antinociceptive activity of flupirtine was attenuated after reserpine pretreatment or in the presence of alpha-adrenergic antagonists suggesting the possible involvement of the noradrenergic system in its analgesic mode of action. Additionally, flupirtine possesses skeletal muscle relaxing activity in rats.