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What to Know About Cychlorphine, a Drug More Potent than Fentanyl
Researchers say the synthetic opioid has appeared in about 25 states and is more potent than fentanyl, raising overdose concerns.
- In August, the Drug Enforcement Administration designated Cychlorphine as a temporary Schedule I drug, making it illegal in the United States following its link to at least 122 deaths since July 2025.
- UNC researchers first detected Cychlorphine in the United States in August 2024, identifying it as a new class of orphines that emerged as global crackdowns on fentanyl analogs pushed illicit markets toward alternatives.
- Cychlorphine has appeared in about 25 states, often mixed with fentanyl or found in counterfeit pills, and Dr. Alex Krotulski noted laboratory models show it is more potent than fentanyl, causing respiratory depression requiring Narcan.
- Hospitals struggle to identify the drug as it does not appear on typical laboratory tests, and Dr. David Liss suggested case counts may be undercounted because specialized testing is required.
- Experts expect Cychlorphine cases to remain sporadic and eventually decline, with Krotulski predicting the drug will "fall off here pretty quickly," noting it is just one of at least 100 different opioids observed in the last decade.
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Researchers at the University of North Carolina first detected synthetic cyclorfin opioid drugs in the United States in August 2024.
·Los Angeles, United States
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It is a name little known that appears on alerts of state forensic doctors, local police authorities and university campuses: cyclorphine.
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What to know about cychlorphine, a drug more potent than fentanyl
Cychlorphine, a new synthetic opioid linked to at least 122 U.S. deaths since July 2025, was designated a temporary Schedule I drug by the DEA in August, but experts say it is unlikely to become as widespread as fentanyl and…
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Total News Sources17
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center14Last UpdatedBias Distribution93% Center
Bias Distribution
- 93% of the sources are Center
93% Center
C 93%
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