Naloxone May Not Stop Overdoses from New Fentanyl Strain

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently reported that a new fentanyl analogue “is so strong that it could possibly be resistant to the opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan” (Burch, 2017). Narcan is the brand name of naloxone, which has been proven to stop an overdose in its tracks.

The new strain is called “acryl fentanyl” and is manufactured overseas and shipped to the US after it is purchased online, according to the DEA (Burch, 2017). Acryl fentanyl is supposedly one hundred times stronger than morphine and has no medical use.

“If acryl fentanyl is introduced into the population, it can have devastating effects,” stated DEA Special Agent David Battiste (Burch, 2017). DEA agents in Pennsylvania are warning of the drug appearing in the state and “officials in North Dakota” did the same. Currently there is not enough information to say for sure that acryl fentanyl will be resistant to naloxone, especially since the strain is so new.

References

Burch, K. (2017). New strain of fentanyl could be resistant to Narcan, DEA warns. Retrieved from https://www.thefix.com/new-strain-fentanyl-could-be-resistant-narcan-dea-warns