Furanylfentanyl

The physiological and toxicological properties of this compound are not known. This product is intended for forensic and research applications.

Side effects

Side effects of fentanyl analogs are similar to those of fentanyl itself, which include itching, nausea, and potentially serious respiratory depression, which can be life-threatening. Fentanyl analogs have killed hundreds of people throughout Europe and the former Soviet republics since the most recent resurgence in use began in Estonia in the early 2000s, and novel derivatives continue to appear.

Life-threatening adverse reactions caused by furanyl fentanyl use have been observed in Sweden and Canada. At least seven deaths in Cook County, Illinois, have been linked to furanyl fentanyl in 2016, with additional deaths in suburban Chicago in 2017.

Detection in biological fluids

Furanylfentanyl may be measured in blood or urine to monitor for abuse, confirm a diagnosis of poisoning, or assist in a medicolegal death investigation. Commercially available immunoassays are often used as initial screening tests, but chromatographic techniques are generally used for confirmation and quantitation. Blood furanylfentanyl concentrations are expected to be in a range of 1-45 μg/L in victims of fatal overdosage.

Legal status

Furanylfentanyl is illegal in Sweden as of January 2016.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposed a temporary placement of furanylfentanyl into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act on 27 September 2016. On November 29, 2016, the DEA issued its final rule, making furanylfentanyl Schedule I.

Chinese manufacture

According to the DEA, fentanyl and its analog are being mass-produced in clandestine labs in China and are then smuggled into the United States. These new variants of fentanyl are manufactured by Chinese chemists in order to circumvent restrictions on the sale of fentanyl in the United States.