Deadlier than fentanyl: Potent nitazene opioid fuels overdose fears

A synthetic opioid believed to be up to five times stronger than fentanyl is drawing global attention. Known as nitazene, the drug has been turning up more frequently in drug seizures in recent years, raising alarms among health professionals.

Originally developed in Switzerland in the 1960s as a potential pain reliever, nitazenes were never approved for medical use in the US.

Nevertheless, the American Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has documented over 4,000 instances of nitazene-related drug seizures across the country since 2019, as reported in an article by the US publication AZFamily.

Bryan Kuhn, a toxicologist with Banner Health, says toxicology reports are showing an uptick in these compounds, though fentanyl still dominates. “There are quite a few of these nitazene drugs, and we’re finding various products within this new category with increasing frequency when we do our drug tests,” Kuhn noted.

He explained that nitazenes produce effects similar to fentanyl but are sometimes even more powerful—making overdoses more likely, particularly when users don’t realise they’re taking it.

“As pure pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl becomes harder to find on the black market, we’ll see other drugs step in to fill the gap, and nitazenes are part of that emerging trend,” Kuhn said. Kuhn added that it’s too early to determine just how widespread nitazene use might become.

In the United Kingdom, authorities have reported more than 400 deaths linked to nitazene since 2023, prompting a wave of public health warnings.

The DEA has cautioned that drug trafficking organisations could soon begin moving nitazenes into the US via the same routes already used for fentanyl—particularly through the southern border.

A law enforcement official noted that if nitazenes gain a foothold locally, first responders may need to carry higher doses of naloxone, better known by the brand name Narcan, to reverse overdoses.

“Given that nitazenes are more potent than fentanyl, we’re likely going to need to administer multiple Narcan doses during an overdose,” the official said.

In May, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed legislation categorising nitazene as a narcotic under state law—making it illegal to possess, distribute, use, or transport the drug. Though already banned at the federal level, the new law provides state agencies with additional enforcement authority.

By Nazrin Sadigova