Wake promoting agents: search for next generation modafinil, lessons learned: part III.

In searching for a next generation molecule to the novel wake promoting agent modafinil (compound 1), a series of fluorene-derived wakefulness enhancing agents were developed and evaluated in rat. Extensive pharmacokinetic studies of a potent member (compound 15) of the series revealed that the wake promotion activity of the analog was likely due to an active metabolite (compound 3).