Chlordiazepoxide discovery

According to Sternbach s account of the discovery of chlordiazepoxide, chance was also at work in the laboratories of Hoffmann-1 a Roche, although in a different way of the series of substances that Stembach had synthesized, why should it have been chlordiazepoxide, of all others, that had been left behind untested in the chemist s laboratory Rather than stressing this chance occurrence, the well-conducted clinical trial of the experimental preparation should be emphasized instead. This study was not restricted to a single indication or dosage range, but was extended in the face of initial unfavorable results into those indications within which the then standard preparation meprobamate achieved its best results (Cohen, 1970). 

The discovery of the benzodiazepines (BZDs) at Hoffmann-La Roche in the late 1950s provided a more formidable arsenal for the treatment of anxiety [5]. Following the introduction of chlordiazepoxide (1, Librium ) in 1960, a large number of analogues were synthesized and developed, including diazepam (2, Valium ), lorazepam (3, Ativan ), prazepam (4, Cen-trax ), oxazepam (5, Serax ), chlorazepate (5a,Tranxene ), and alprazolam (6, Xanax ). Although other structural classes of compounds for treatment of anxiety have been discovered such as hydroxyzine (7, Atarax ), buspirone (8, Buspar ), and chlormezanone (9, Trancopal ), the prescriptions written for (l)-(7) over the years since their introduction equal or exceed that for any disorder [4, 6], presumably because of their effectiveness and rapid onset of action [7],... 

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