Fladrafinil (developmental code name CRL-40,941), also known as fluorafinil or as bisfluoroadrafinil, is a wakefulness-promoting agent related to modafinil that was never marketed. It is sold online and used non-medically as a nootropic (cognitive enhancer).
Modafinil and its analogues are known to act as dopamine reuptake inhibitors and this is thought to be involved in their wakefulness-promoting effects. Chemically, fladrafinil is a derivative of adrafinil (N-hydroxymodafinil) and is also known as bisfluoroadrafinil (it is the bis(4-fluoro) phenyl ring-substituted derivative of adrafinil). It is closely related to flmodafinil (CRL-40,940; bisfluoromodafinil).
Fladrafinil has been found to produce antiaggressive effects in animals, which adrafinil does not produce. Fladrafinil is purportedly 3 to 4times more potent than adrafinil in this action.
Analogues of fladrafinil include modafinil, armodafinil ((R)-modafinil), esmodafinil ((S)-modafinil), adrafinil (CRL-40,028; N-hydroxymodafinil), flmodafinil (CRL-40,940; bisfluoromodafinil), and CE-123, among others.
Fladrafinil appears to have first been patented in the 1980s.
The pharmacokinetics of fladrafinil are being studied.