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Characterizing the presence of fentanyl analogues in the unregulated drug supply in British Columbia, Canada Crepeault, Hannah; Socias, Eugenia; Tobias, Samuel; Lysyshyn, Mark; Custance, Allen; Shapiro, Aaron; Ti, Lianping

Abstract

Background: The emergence of fentanyl and its analogues (e.g., carfentanil) have contributed to a rise in overdose-related mortality. The objective of this study was to describe samples containing fentanyl analogues appearing in the unregulated drug supply of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Methods: Point-of-care drug checking data, using a combination of fentanyl immunoassay strips and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were collected at harm reduction sites in BC between 2017 and 2021. A subset of samples were sent for confirmatory analysis using quantitative nuclear resonance spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and/or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results: A total of 22916 samples were tested using point of care technologies, with 43% testing positive for fentanyl via fentanyl test strips. 1467 were sent for confirmatory analysis, and of these 854 (58%) tested positive for fentanyl via fentanyl test strips and 84 (6%) contained at least one fentanyl analogue, including: carfentanil (n=61), acetyl fentanyl (n=15), furanyl fentanyl (n=8) and cyclopropyl fentanyl (n=5). Fourteen (16%) samples containing a fentanyl analogue tested negative via fentanyl immunoassay strips and fentanyl was also not detected using FTIR. Fentanyl analogues in all fourteen samples were identified in trace amounts via confirmatory analysis. Conclusion: Fentanyl analogues were present in the unregulated drug supply and while the risk profiles are known for some, not all are well characterized. These findings underscore the importance of drug checking initiatives for monitoring the unregulated drug market.

Item Metadata

Title
Characterizing the presence of fentanyl analogues in the unregulated drug supply in British Columbia, Canada
Creator
Crepeault, Hannah; Socias, Eugenia; Tobias, Samuel; Lysyshyn, Mark; Custance, Allen; Shapiro, Aaron; Ti, Lianping
Contributor
British Columbia Centre on Substance Use; Vancouver Coastal Health Authority
Publisher
Wiley
Date Issued
2022-11-24
Description
Background: The emergence of fentanyl and its analogues (e.g., carfentanil) have contributed to a rise in overdose-related mortality. The objective of this study was to describe samples containing fentanyl analogues appearing in the unregulated drug supply of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Methods: Point-of-care drug checking data, using a combination of fentanyl immunoassay strips and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were collected at harm reduction sites in BC between 2017 and 2021. A subset of samples were sent for confirmatory analysis using quantitative nuclear resonance spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and/or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results: A total of 22916 samples were tested using point of care technologies, with 43% testing positive for fentanyl via fentanyl test strips. 1467 were sent for confirmatory analysis, and of these 854 (58%) tested positive for fentanyl via fentanyl test strips and 84 (6%) contained at least one fentanyl analogue, including: carfentanil (n=61), acetyl fentanyl (n=15), furanyl fentanyl (n=8) and cyclopropyl fentanyl (n=5). Fourteen (16%) samples containing a fentanyl analogue tested negative via fentanyl immunoassay strips and fentanyl was also not detected using FTIR. Fentanyl analogues in all fourteen samples were identified in trace amounts via confirmatory analysis. Conclusion: Fentanyl analogues were present in the unregulated drug supply and while the risk profiles are known for some, not all are well characterized. These findings underscore the importance of drug checking initiatives for monitoring the unregulated drug market.
Subject
Fentanyl; Analogue; Drug checking; Overdose; Carfentanil
Geographic Location
Downtown-Eastside (Vancouver, B.C.)
Genre
Article; Preprint
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2023-04-27
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0431427
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/84493
Affiliation
Medicine, Faculty of; Non UBC; Medicine, Department of; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of; Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of
Citation
Crepeault, H., Socias, E.M., Tobias, S., et al. (2022). Examining fentanyl and its analogues in the unregulated drug supply of British Columbia, Canada using drug checking technologies. Drug and Alcohol Review.
Publisher DOI
10.1111/dar.13580
Peer Review Status
Unreviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International