Among commonly used anesthetics like sevoflurane, dexmedetomidine, desflurane, midazolam, and others, propofol accounts for more than 30% sale in the global anesthetic market.

Propofol is used for the maintenance of anesthesia and sedation in both Intensive Care Units and outpatient procedural settings. Its fast onset, short duration of action and minimal side effects accounts for its success in the clinical setting, despite its disadvantages associated with its oil emulsion formulation. Early attempts were made to alter the conventional emulsion or to develop new formulations with cyclodextrins and micelles to resolve pain issues upon injection, but the need for antimicrobial agents and possible hyperlipidemia had failed. To overcome these challenges in the foreground, attention had now been shifted to the use of more prodrugs and exogenous alternatives, but their success has to be determined yet.

Therefore, it was deduced that these new agents should offer significant clinical advantages over the well-developed, generic Propofol oil emulsion so that their higher costs can be justified and they could be established in the growing cost-conscious healthcare marketplace.