{"id":8375,"date":"2016-08-26T23:24:30","date_gmt":"2016-08-26T23:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=8375"},"modified":"2016-11-22T23:33:01","modified_gmt":"2016-11-22T23:33:01","slug":"fentanyl-and-other-synthetic-opioids-sold-as-counterfeits-in-deadly-new-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/fentanyl-and-other-synthetic-opioids-sold-as-counterfeits-in-deadly-new-trend\/","title":{"rendered":"Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids sold as counterfeits in deadly new trend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Samuel Banister<\/a>, Stanford University<\/a><\/em>; Axel Adams<\/a>, University of California, San Francisco<\/a><\/em>, and Roy Gerona<\/a>, University of California, San Francisco<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In March and April, 56 people in the Sacramento area were hospitalized after taking Norco brand hydrocodone pills<\/a>. Fifteen died.<\/p>\n

But, as we discovered, these pills were not pharmaceutical hydrocodone at all. They were counterfeits containing fentanyl<\/a> that were purchased on the street. Fentanyl is an opioid far more powerful than hydrocodone. Counterfeit pills containing fentanyl<\/a> were also found in Prince\u2019s home.<\/p>\n

While fentanyl made by pharmaceutical companies is sometimes diverted to the black market, since 2013 the distribution of illicitly manufactured fentanyl<\/a> has risen to unprecedented levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These illicitly made substances are generally formulated to look like others drugs \u2013 heroin or oxycodone tablets. This means that users may not be aware they are taking fentanyl or another synthetic opioid. For instance, our work at the Clinical Toxicology and Environmental Biomonitoring Laboratory at UCSF has identified counterfeit Norco containing fentanyl and a new synthetic opioid<\/a> that is chemically unrelated to anything used in medicine. Fentanyl has also been found in counterfeit Xanax<\/a>, an anti-anxiety drug.<\/p>\n

We study the pharmacology and toxicology of new psychoactive substances (NPS). These entirely synthetic, illicitly made \u201cdesigner drugs\u201d are designed to work on the same receptors in the body as drugs like marijuana, methamphetamine or heroin. The adulteration of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and street drugs with synthetic opioids is arguably the most worrying new trend in our field.<\/p>\n

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\n Opioids are a class of chemical \u2013 some are derived from poppy, others are synthetic.<\/span>
\n Damir Sagolj\/Reuters<\/span><\/span>
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What are synthetic opioids?<\/h2>\n

When we talk about opioids, we are referring to a class of chemicals. They differ in form and potency, but they all interact with opioid receptors in the body, producing painkilling and euphoric effects.<\/p>\n

Opioids include naturally occurring drugs that are extracted from the opium poppy plant, like morphine. They also include semi-synthetic drugs that are also derived from poppy but then chemically manipulated, such as heroin. The most potent opioid drugs, however, are entirely synthetic chemicals that look nothing like those produced by nature, like fentanyl. <\/p>\n

Fentanyl acts on opioid receptors, which are found throughout the body, with about 50-100 times the potency of morphine<\/a>. The drug also has important medical applications. In fact, if you\u2019ve ever had surgery, you\u2019ve probably had fentanyl<\/a>. But, as with any opioid, it can be dangerous when it is misused.<\/p>\n

Fentanyl, often called \u201cChina White\u201d on the street, has historically been sold as a heroin substitute because it is incredibly potent, entirely synthetic and cheap to manufacture. One kilogram of illicit fentanyl can be purchased from China for US$3,000-$5,000<\/a> and turned into millions of doses<\/a> of \u201cChina White.\u201d Instead of diverting pharmaceutical fentanyl, or other potent synthetic opioids with medical or veterinary applications, clandestine labs can just manufacture their own.<\/p>\n

For instance, carfentanil<\/a>, a form of fentanyl used as a veterinary tranquilizer for large animals such as elephants, was found in heroin last month<\/a> in Ohio. At least one overdose death already has been reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl itself, and 10,000 times more potent than heroin. It is estimated to be active in humans at doses as low as one microgram<\/a>, one millionth of a gram. The estimated lethal dose of fentanyl is about 2 milligrams<\/a> per person, but the lethal dose for carfentanil in humans is unknown. Based on data from chimpanzees<\/a>, it is estimated to be in the microgram range. To put that in perspective, a grain of sugar weighs about 600 micrograms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2015, the aggregate U.S. production of carfentanil for veterinary use just 19 grams<\/a>. That suggests that the carfentanil found in heroin was made in an illicit lab, rather than being diverted.<\/p>\n

And Canadian police just intercepted a package from China containing 1 kilogram of carfentanil<\/a>, enough for 50,000,000 potential overdoses.<\/p>\n

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