(R)-MDMA

(R)-MDMA
Clinical data
Other names(R)-Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine; (R)-MDMA; (R)-(–)-MDMA; R(–)-MDMA; (–)-MDMA; (R)-Midomafetamine; (R)-(–)-Midomafetamine; (–)-Midomafetamine; Armidomafetamine; levo-MDMA; l-MDMA; EMP-01; EMP01; MM-402; MM402
Routes of
administration
Oral
Drug classSerotonin–norepinephrine releasing agent; Serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist; Entactogen; Empathogen
Pharmacokinetic data
MetabolismCYP2D6
Elimination half-life11–14 hours
Identifiers
  • (2R)-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-N-methylpropan-2-amine
CAS Number
PubChem CID
ChemSpider
UNII
ChEMBL
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC11H15NO2
Molar mass193.246 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • C[C@H](CC1=CC2=C(C=C1)OCO2)NC
  • InChI=1S/C11H15NO2/c1-8(12-2)5-9-3-4-10-11(6-9)14-7-13-10/h3-4,6,8,12H,5,7H2,1-2H3/t8-/m1/s1
  • Key:SHXWCVYOXRDMCX-MRVPVSSYSA-N

(R)-3,4-Methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine ((R)-MDMA), also known as (R)-midomafetamine or as levo-MDMA, is the (R)- or levorotatory (l-) enantiomer of 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA; midomafetamine; "ecstasy"), a racemic mixture of (R)-MDMA and (S)-MDMA. Like MDMA, (R)-MDMA is an entactogen or empathogen. It is taken by mouth.

The drug is a serotonin–norepinephrine releasing agent (SNRA) and weak serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist. It has substantially less or no significant dopamine-releasing activity compared to MDMA and (S)-MDMA. In preclinial studies, (R)-MDMA shows equivalent therapeutic-like effects to MDMA, such as increased prosocial behavior, but shows reduced psychostimulant-like effects, addictive potential, and serotonergic neurotoxicity. In clinical studies, (R)-MDMA produces similar effects to MDMA and (S)-MDMA, but is less potent and has a longer duration.

(R)-MDMA was first described in enantiopure form by 1978. Under the developmental code names EMP-01, developed by atai Life Sciences, and MM-402, developed by MindMed, it is under development for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social phobia, and pervasive development disorders (PDDs) such as autism. It is thought that (R)-MDMA might have a better safety profile than MDMA itself whilst retaining its therapeutic benefits.