In a blog I wrote last month, I noted the rising use of nitazenes, a synthetic opioid up to 43 times stronger than fentanyl. We now realize a comprehensive effort is needed to address this new and growing reality in the opioid crisis. In a recent article, Dr. Shravani Durbhakula, an anesthesiologist and pain medicine physician, identifies the need to improve tracking of overdose deaths caused by nitazene use.  

“Much of our country still relies on toxicology panels built for yesterday’s drug supply,” she wrote. “These panels can reliably identify heroin, oxycodone and fentanyl but fail to catch nitazenes, brorphine, or other new synthetic analogs. This gap means policy makers and public health professional chase outdated trends.”  Dr. Durbhakula recommends recent opioid settlement funds be authorized for more updated forensic testing that will resolve this issue.

To learn more about this topic, please register for our next  Knock Out Opioid Abuse Learning Series webinar, “Opioids & Synthetics: What We Need to Know,” at 11 a.m. Thursday, January 29.