Benzodiazepines were created in 1957 by Roche, a healthcare and pharmaceutical company. Roche started selling flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) in 1975. At first, hospitals used the drug when a patient needed a deep sleep. It was sold commercially in 1975 in Europe, and in the 1990s in the United States. The drug was given the brand name Rohypnol.