Carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl, and it’s killing people

Carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl, and it’s killing people

Drug overdose deaths in the US have finally begun to abate. Between June 2023 and June 2024, they fell by 14%. However, deaths from a drug used to sedate large animals, called carfentanil, rose by at least 720% between the first half of 2023 and the first half of 2024.

The total number of deaths from carfentanil in the US is still tiny compared with deaths from the related drug fentanyl, but still, the trend is concerning.

Carfentanil was first synthesised in 1974 at Janssen Pharmaceuticals and sold under the brand name Wildnil. It is typically used to dart large animals such as deer, moose, elk, rhinoceros and elephants. A dose of 10mg is enough to knock out or even kill a fully grown African elephant. (The Conversation, Frankreich, 19.12.2024)

https://theconversation.com/carfentanil-is-100-times-more-potent-than-fentanyl-and-its-killing-people-245492