Like morphine-N-oxide, it was studied as a potential pharmaceutical drug and is considerably weaker than codeine.

Morphine-N-oxide (genomorphine) is an active opioid metabolite of morphine.

Morphine-N-oxide (genomorphine)

A possible explanation is that morphine-N-oxide is rapidly inactivated in the liver and impairment of inactivation processes or enzymes increases functionality.

However, pretreatment with amiphenazole or tacrine increases the potency of morphine-N-oxide in relation to morphine (intraperitoneally more so than in subcutaneous administration).