Rapacuronium bromide was introduced in the US as a parenterally
administered adjunct to general anesthesia during surgical procedures. It is a
new steroidal derivative belonging to the same class as vecuronium bromide.
This 2,16-bispiperidinylandrostane derivative can be synthesized in 3 steps from
the 3-hydroxy-androstan-17-one analog and finally quaternized with allyl
bromide. Rapacuronium bromide is a nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking
drug with a rapid onset and a short duration of action. With a relatively low
potency (ED90 = 1.15 mg/kg), Rapacuronium is expected to be substituted for
the polarizing succinylcholine with very short duration of action.