Searching for a deadly needle in a haystack: traces of extremely potent artificial opioids present in used syringes – Information and occasions

01 August 2025

A category of artificial opioids which are as much as 1000 instances stronger than morphine have been present in used syringes throughout metropolitan Adelaide, sparking fears of a wave of overdoses that might be deadly.

In the primary research of its type in South Australia, University of South Australia researchers have detected traces of nitazene in samples of discarded injecting gear, plastic luggage, vials and filters from public disposal bins at native needle and syringe program websites.

Their findings are revealed right this moment (Friday 1 August) within the Drug & Alcohol Review.

Using extremely delicate chemical evaluation, researchers recognized nitazenes in 5% of 300 samples, primarily together with heroin and principally present in syringes.

Nitazenes led to 32 overdose deaths in Australia between 2020 and 2024, with 84% of sufferers unaware the artificial opioid was current within the drug they consumed. It is more and more hidden in illicit medicine similar to fentanyl and heroin, posing excessive overdose dangers, usually with deadly penalties.

“Nitazenes are among the most potent synthetic opioids in circulation today, some stronger than fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin,” in keeping with lead researcher UniSA Associate Professor Cobus Gerber.

“These substances can be lethal in tiny quantities and are often mixed with other drugs, making them incredibly difficult to detect and monitor through traditional means,” he says.

Several totally different nitazenes have been recognized, a few of them mixed with the non-opioid veterinary sedative xylazine, which isn’t authorised for human use.

“This is particularly alarming,” says Assoc Prof Gerber, “as xylazine has been linked to extreme antagonistic results, together with necrotic pores and skin lesions, extended sedation and despair.

“Finding xylazine alongside nitazenes in the same samples is a worrying sign because it mirrors what we are seeing overseas, especially in the United States, where these drug combinations are contributing to a wave of overdose deaths and complex clinical presentations.”

Less than one in 5 nitazene-related emergency circumstances in Australia concerned individuals who knowingly took the drug, with most individuals mistakenly believing they consumed heroin, methamphetamine or different acquainted substances.

“Accidental exposure is a key risk,” says co-author UniSA researcher Dr Emma Keller.

“When drugs are contaminated with nitazenes, the margin for error narrows dramatically. Standard doses can become fatal, especially for people who don’t know what their product contains or who don’t carry naloxone, a medication that can rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.”

The detection of those substances in South Australia comes amid rising requires expanded drug-checking companies, together with the usage of nitazene-specific drug strips and public well being alerts.

Associate Prof Gerber says that chemical testing of used drug paraphernalia is a non-invasive, efficient strategy to establish rising threats within the drug provide.

“This kind of data can trigger rapid alerts to health agencies, treatment services and peer networks, allowing people who use drugs to make more informed choices.”

Wastewater evaluation can be used to detect illicit medicine in the neighborhood, however because of the sporadic nature of drug use, different monitoring approaches like chemical testing are obligatory.

Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia, who co-authored the research, has shared the findings with neighborhood advisory teams, healthcare suppliers and the state’s early warning system community.

‘Searching for a Needle in a Haystack: Chemical Analysis Reveals Nitazenes Found in Drug Paraphernalia Residues’ in revealed in Drug and Alcohol Review. DOI: 10.1111/dar.70010

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Researcher contacts: Associate Professor Cobus Gerber M: +61 423 496 066
E: [email protected]; Dr Emma Pedler M: +61 424 950 030 E: [email protected]
Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: [email protected]