A New Type of Opioid Is Killing People in the US, Europe, and Australia

"Nitazenes were first synthesized in the 1950s by CIBA Aktiengesellschaft, an Austrian chemical company, which created several chemically related molecules with different levels of pain-killing potency. However, their use as painkillers never took off. As well as being highly addictive, nitazenes can cause respiratory depression, a dangerous condition where breathing becomes too shallow to replenish oxygen in the blood. These drugs were therefore largely unheard of for decades until they appeared in the illegal market."

"It's difficult to say exactly when nitazenes started being commonly sold as street drugs-identifying them requires specific tests that are not routinely performed-but law enforcement agencies started noticing them about six years ago. A shipment of one type of these synthesized molecules-isotonitazene-was intercepted in the US Midwest in 2019, and deaths started being reported in both the US and Europe over the following years."

"Drugmakers and dealers were likely attracted to nitazenes because of their potency and because they have similar effects to better-known drugs such as heroin. This makes them useful substances to dealers, as they can use them to cut other opioids to make their drugs go further, increasing the volume that they can sell. This poses serious risks to users, who are often unaware of what they are actually taking, raising the threat of overdosing."

Nitazenes are a class of synthetic opioids developed in the 1950s that are about 40 times more potent than fentanyl. Several chemically related nitazene molecules were synthesized but never became medical painkillers due to high addiction potential and dangerous respiratory depression. These substances reemerged on illegal markets around 2019, with isotonitazene shipments intercepted and hundreds of confirmed deaths reported across Europe and the US, likely an undercount. Identification requires specialized tests that are not routine, complicating detection. Dealers use nitazenes to cut other opioids because of potency and heroin-like effects, increasing overdose risk and exploiting unclear legal status.

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