New Report Reveals More Than 1000 Died from Illegal Fentanyl Use

A new report published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report found that overdoses related to illegally produced (non-pharmaceutical) fentanyl killed at least 1,013 people within less than two years. The report, entitled Non-Pharmaceutical Fentanyl-related Deaths, Multiple States, chronicles the steps public health and law enforcement authorities at the federal, state and local level took in identifying and responding to the problem during what was considered an epidemic of prescription-related overdoses, and notes how these measures could be applied to public health threats.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid medication that when properly manufactured and administered is an effective treatment for severe or chronic pain. However, because of its high potency--30-50 times more potent than heroin—it can be extraordinarily dangerous when produced illicitly or used non-medically. Non-pharmaceutical versions of fentanyl have not only been sold directly as street drugs, but have also been mixed in with other street drugs such as heroin and cocaine –sometimes with fatal consequences.

An April 2006 spike in the number of drug overdoses in Camden, N.J., was reported to the Epidemic Information Exchange (EpiX), a communications network developed by the CDC. Similar reports of sudden increases in overdoses and deaths from other parts of the country led the CDC, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other officials to launch an investigation into the problem.

Experts from these agencies were able to determine that what were initially suspected to be heroin overdoses were actually overdoses related to illicit drugs containing non-pharmaceutical fentanyl. Federal, state and local authorities simultaneously launched intensive outreach efforts throughout the medical and substance abuse treatment communities to alert people of the dangers. Practical information and measures were also provided for helping prevent exposure to illicit fentanyl drugs and for treating those who had been exposed. Thanks in large part to these efforts, the epidemic, which was determined to have begun around April of 2005, ended by March 2007.

“This MMWR report details the effective measures CDC, ONDCP, DEA, SAMHSA and others implemented to stem this epidemic, save countless lives and help address possible future outbreaks,” said SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline, Ph.D. “It also highlights the very disturbing rise in overdose deaths related to both the abuse of street and prescription drugs, and the continuing need to address this dire problem.”

The report recommends building upon many of the measures put in place to address the non-pharmaceutical fentanyl epidemic, including enhancing mechanisms for identifying and reporting drug-related deaths, establishing national standards for guiding the toxicological testing and analysis of these deaths and maintaining outreach programs for effectively providing vital information to potentially affected communities.

To learn more about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and how coalitions can address the problem in their communities, order a copy of CADCA’s Strategizer 52 publication, entitled: Teen Prescription Drug Abuse: An Emerging Threat, available from CADCA’s Online Store.

A copy of the full report and accompanying editorial can be obtained at www.cdc.gov/mmwr.