EMB-FUBINACA
Synthetic cannabinoid, CB1 and CB2 agonist, classed as a narcotic in France, found in a fatal case.
C₂₂H₂₄FN₃O₃
Harm-reduction warning
No characterised human dose: animal / in vitro data only. Effect profile, safety margin and acute toxicity are not documented in human clinical practice. Extremely potent compound: severe effects, seizures and deaths reported in the literature.
Data sheet
Names
- IUPAC name
- ethyl (2S)-2-[[1-[(4-fluorophenyl)methyl]indazole-3-carbonyl]amino]-3-methylbutanoate
- Other names
- ethyl [1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-1H-indazole-3-carbonyl]valinate
Identifiers
- Formula
- C₂₂H₂₄FN₃O₃
- Molar mass
- 397.40 g/mol
- PubChem CID
- 125181443(new tab)
- InChIKey
- YOECWCNJGHHTMN-IBGZPJMESA-N
Class
- Family
- Synthetic cannabinoid (SCRA)
Updated on
Receptors and activity
- CB1Agonist25 out of 100
Agoniste in vitro ; aucune constante d'affinité (Ki) publiée dans les sources consultées (Doi et coll., 2018)
- CB2Agonist25 out of 100
Agoniste in vitro ; aucune constante d'affinité (Ki) publiée dans les sources consultées (Doi et coll., 2018)
Subjective signature
- Calm
- 8 out of 100
- Relaxation of body and mind; reduced mental noise without marked drowsiness.
- Clarity
- 5 out of 100
- Sustained attention and clear thinking; functional lucidity, not euphoria.
- High
- 15 out of 100
- Euphoria and sensory intensity; altered perception of time and space.
- Appetite
- 10 out of 100
- Stimulation of hunger and of taste appreciation (the “munchies” effect).
- Sleep
- 10 out of 100
- Sedative effect: aids sleep onset and the continuity of deep sleep.
Pharmacology
EMB-FUBINACA, whose chemical name is ethyl [1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-1H-indazole-3-carbonyl]valinate, is a synthetic indazole-3-carboxamide, the ethyl analogue of AMB-FUBINACA. Doi et al. (2018) classify it as an agonist of the CB1 and CB2 receptors, and Gatch et al. (2022) report in rats a full substitution for Δ9-THC with an ED50 of 0.13 mg/kg. A death case published by Adamowicz et al. (2019) found it in tissues and stomach contents, alongside AMB-FUBINACA. No controlled human study is cited in the sources consulted, and no therapeutic use is established.
Key sources.
- Gatch et coll., Comportement pharmacologique de cinq cannabinoïdes de synthèse, Behav Pharmacol 2022 (new tab)PMID 33595956
- Doi et coll., Agonisme CB1 et CB2 des carboxamides de synthèse et différence entre énantiomères, Forensic Toxicol 2018 (new tab)PMID 29367862
- Adamowicz et coll., Intoxication mortelle à l'AMB-FUBINACA et à l'EMB-FUBINACA, Clin Toxicol 2019 (new tab)PMID 30806094
- Liu et coll., Identification et caractérisation analytique de six cannabinoïdes de synthèse dont l'EMB-FUBINACA, Drug Test Anal 2017 (new tab)PMID 28063270
- Antonides et coll., Synthèse énantiospécifique, séparation chirale et détection de quatre carboxamides indazole dans des saisies, Front Chem 2019 (new tab)PMID 31157203
- ANSM · Liste consolidée des substances classées comme stupéfiants, mise à jour du 16 février 2026 (clause des dérivés du 3-carboxamide indazole) (new tab)
- OICS · Liste verte des substances psychotropes sous contrôle international, édition 2026 (new tab)
- PubChem · CID 125181443, EMB-FUBINACA (new tab)
History
- Source
- Entirely synthetic molecule, not among the constituents of cannabis. Reported in Europe as a new synthetic product between 2014 and 2015 (Doi et al., 2018), it was tentatively identified in seized plant material (Antonides et al., 2019).
Origin (pharmaceutical research → illicit market)
No biosynthetic pathway: EMB-FUBINACA does not derive from hemp. It is a carboxamide made in the laboratory by amide coupling, a chemistry unrelated to the terpenophenols of the plant.
Legal framework
- European Union
No harmonised control measure at European Union level was found for this molecule in the sources consulted: its control falls under the national legislation of the Member States.
- France
Narcotic in France, without listing by name. The molecule is not named in the ANSM consolidated list of narcotics (updated 16 February 2026). It falls under the generic clause of the 3-carboxamide indazole derivatives: the nitrogen at position 1 of the indazole ring carries a halobenzyl (fluorobenzyl) group, the ring is otherwise unsubstituted, and the carboxamide nitrogen carries a 1-alkoxy-1-oxo-butan-2-yl group (ethyl ester of valine) substituted at position 3 by an alkyl (methyl) group, which the definition covers. The decree that introduced this clause is not identified in the text consulted. It is not named on the 2026 INCB Green List. Use, possession, transfer and importation are prohibited.
Sources: EUR-Lex, UNODC, CND, ANSM, IUPHAR/BPS, ChEBI, EUDA. Our method.
References
- Gatch et coll., Comportement pharmacologique de cinq cannabinoïdes de synthèse, Behav Pharmacol 2022 (new tab)PMID 33595956
- Doi et coll., Agonisme CB1 et CB2 des carboxamides de synthèse et différence entre énantiomères, Forensic Toxicol 2018 (new tab)PMID 29367862
- Adamowicz et coll., Intoxication mortelle à l'AMB-FUBINACA et à l'EMB-FUBINACA, Clin Toxicol 2019 (new tab)PMID 30806094
- Liu et coll., Identification et caractérisation analytique de six cannabinoïdes de synthèse dont l'EMB-FUBINACA, Drug Test Anal 2017 (new tab)PMID 28063270
- Antonides et coll., Synthèse énantiospécifique, séparation chirale et détection de quatre carboxamides indazole dans des saisies, Front Chem 2019 (new tab)PMID 31157203
- ANSM · Liste consolidée des substances classées comme stupéfiants, mise à jour du 16 février 2026 (clause des dérivés du 3-carboxamide indazole) (new tab)
- OICS · Liste verte des substances psychotropes sous contrôle international, édition 2026 (new tab)
- PubChem · CID 125181443, EMB-FUBINACA (new tab)
Structured data
- SMILES
- CCOC(=O)[C@H](C(C)C)NC(=O)C1=NN(C2=CC=CC=C21)CC3=CC=C(C=C3)F
- InChIKey
- YOECWCNJGHHTMN-IBGZPJMESA-N
LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.