Warning Issued by Doctors: Chinese-Made Opioid Nitazene Poses Graver Threat Than Fentanyl, with Potency Exceeding Morphine by 1,000 Times, as it Infiltrates US Drug Market

Doctors are raising concerns over a Chinese-made drug deadlier than fentanyl that is infiltrating the US.

Researchers have identified nitazenes, a group of man-made opioids, in overdose patients.

These opioids are believed to be approximately 1,000 times more potent than morphine, requiring at least two doses of naloxone to counteract an overdose.

‘Clinicians need to be aware of these opioids in the drug supply to properly care for these patients,’ warned doctors at Mount Sinai, New York.

Fentanyl is an extremely toxic substance, capable of killing an adult with just two milligrams.

It has been responsible for the increasing number of overdose deaths in the US, accounting for nearly two-thirds of fatalities. Approximately 150 Americans still die from overdoses every day.

However, doctors are now expressing concerns about the emergence of another group of drugs, nitazenes, on American soil.

In a study published today in JAMA Network Open, researchers examined the lab results of 537 adults admitted to emergency rooms with suspected overdoses between 2020 and 2022.

Out of these, 11 individuals tested positive for fentanyl only.

However, a total of nine, or nearly two percent, tested positive for nitazenes.

Among the patients with fentanyl in their system, 36 percent required multiple doses of naloxone and 27 percent needed intubation.

For those with nitazenes in their system, 66 percent required multiple doses of naloxone and 50 percent had to be intubated.

One patient from each group died as a result of the overdose, while the others survived.

Individuals who received a nitazene known as metonitazene were more likely to experience cardiac arrest or death compared to those who had other substances, including fentanyl.

Dr. Alex Manini, an emergency medicine expert at Mount Sinai, stated, ‘Given the alarmingly high rate of cardiac arrest associated with nitazene overdose, this study should encourage the implementation of harm-reduction policies.

‘Additionally, as dangerous toxic drugs continue to emerge in the illicit opioid supply in the United States, future research should examine the clinical outcomes of new potent opioids as the supply continues to evolve.’

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