Lost in the avalanche of pandemic-related news last year was the commercial release of remimazolam (Byfavo, Acacia Pharma), formally announced on January 28, 2021. The journey of this highly anticipated novel benzodiazepine from discovery to market has been long and arduous. However, its arrival seems to herald a significant advancement for sedation and anesthesia for dentistry.
The goal of identifying an ultrashort-acting benzodiazepine began in the late 1990s in the wake of remifentanil's discovery by the pharmaceutical company Glaxo Wellcome. Although several promising compounds were identified, Glaxo Wellcome opted to move forward with CNS 7259, formally named remimazolam in 2010.