DECEMBER 18, 2024
The CDC is warning about the dangers of carfentanil, a synthetic drug that is significantly more potent and deadly than fentanyl.
According to a new report from the CDC (2024 Dec 5;73(48):1099-1105. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7348a2.), about 70% of overdose deaths in 2023 were linked to illegally manufactured fentanyl (IMF), with carfentanil—a fentanyl analog that is 100 times more potent than fentanyl—emerging as a key contributor.
“Although still rare, overdose deaths
The CDC is warning about the dangers of carfentanil, a synthetic drug that is significantly more potent and deadly than fentanyl.
According to a new report from the CDC (2024 Dec 5;73(48):1099-1105. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7348a2.), about 70% of overdose deaths in 2023 were linked to illegally manufactured fentanyl (IMF), with carfentanil—a fentanyl analog that is 100 times more potent than fentanyl—emerging as a key contributor.
“Although still rare, overdose deaths involving carfentanil increased approximately sevenfold starting in mid-2023. Because carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl, overdose deaths could substantially rise if carfentanil further infiltrates the drug supply, as seen in previous outbreaks,” the CDC report stated. “The potential mixing of carfentanil into fentanyl products as an adulterant raises concerns that its presence might be unknown to users, similar to how fentanyl was initially introduced as an adulterant in heroin.”
In 2023, there were approximately 72,000 overdose deaths in the United States attributed to IMF. Between January 2023 and June 2024, carfentanil was detected in overdose deaths across 49 states and Washington, D.C.
While the rise in carfentanil-related deaths is concerning, there has been an overall decline in fentanyl-attributed overdose deaths in recent years. Carfentanil first emerged as a significant threat in 2016-2017 but largely disappeared in the following years before reemerging more recently.
The report is based on data from the CDC’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System, covering overdose death trends from January 2021 to June 2024.
Between January 2021 and December 2023, there were a total of 251,089 unintentional and undetermined-intent drug overdose deaths, including 188,082 (74.2%) involving IMF. Overdose deaths increased by 4.9% from 2021 to 2022 but remained stable from 2022 to 2023.
“Overdose prevention efforts that address the widespread presence of IMFs, including carfentanil, and can rapidly adapt to other potent opioids in the drug supply could lead to lasting reductions in overdose deaths across the United States,” the report concluded.
–Kenneth Walter
