Synthetic opioid may have caused hundreds more deaths than recorded
Super-strength synthetic opioid likely to have killed many more than first thought
- Researchers at King's College London suggest that deaths linked to nitazenes, potent synthetic opioids, are likely underestimated by up to a third in England.
- This underreporting is attributed to nitazenes degrading in post-mortem blood samples, making them undetectable in standard toxicology tests.
- A study published in Clinical Toxicology found that only 14 per cent of nitazene remained in samples under typical handling conditions, leading to missed detections.
- Despite the National Crime Agency reporting 333 nitazene-linked fatalities in 2024, experts believe the true number is significantly higher.
- The underestimation of nitazene-related deaths means public health responses are based on incomplete data, potentially hindering effective interventions and leading to preventable fatalities.
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