Nitazenes (benzimidazole opioids) are a class of synthetic opioids first developed in the 1950s as an analgesic medication. Analogs of nitazenes include etonitazene, butonitazine, and metonitazine.
Undocumented nitazenes are now being found in blood and urine samples of individuals suspected of overdosing on synthetic opioids. First appearing in 2019 as a major factor in Canadian and European opioid overdoses, nitazenes are considered one of many emerging synthetic opioids known for their high abuse potential and risk of severe respiratory depression leading to death.
As the United States continues to experience an unprecedented epidemic of opioid misuse and abuse, the continued evolution and increased trafficking and popularity of new and deadly synthetic opioids from a variety of structural classes, including benzimidazoles, with no approved medical use are of public health concern.
These benzimidazole-opioids are not approved for medical use in the United States. Ten of these benzimidazole-opioids are controlled in schedule I of the CSA; others may be treated under 21 U.S.C. 802(32)(A), if intended for human consumption.
Street Names: Frankenstein Opioids