and its metabolites were unchanged in people with different stages of renal impairment, though plasma concentrations were significantly increased. the clearance of alpidem was estimated to be 0.86 ± 0.04 l•h-1•kg-1 in healthy individuals. chemistry alpidem is a nonbenzodiazepine, and hence is not structurally related to benzodiazepines. it is a member of the imidazopyridine group of compounds. alpidem is structurally related to the z-drug zolpidem, which is also an imidazopyridine. history alpidem was developed by synthélabo recherche (subsequently sanofi-synthélabo and now sanofi-aventis). it was developed under the code name sl 80.0342 and was first described in the literature by 1982. alpidem was introduced for medical use in france in 1991. it was also undergoing development in the 1990s for use in other countries such as the united states and other european countries like germany, the netherlands, and spain. the drug reached phase 3 clinical trials in these countries. however, development in the united states was halted in 1992 due to "divergent results". all development in other countries was discontinued by 1999. alpidem was withdrawn from the market in france in 1993 due to liver toxicity. it was never marketed in any other country. society and culture names alpidem is the generic name of the drug and its inn, usan, ban, and dcf. the developmental code name of alpidem was sl 80.0342. alpidem was previously marketed under the brand name ananxyl. availability alpidem was previously marketed in france, but is no longer available in any country.