Abstract

REPILADO ALVAREZ, A; URQUIA GRANDE, ML; MARTINEZ GALDAMEZ, ME  and  LLORENTE BALLESTEROS, MT. Carfentanil: a double threat to public health. Sanid. Mil. [online]. 2023, vol.79, n.2, pp.118-124.  Epub Feb 05, 2024. ISSN 1887-8571.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/s1887-85712023000200009.

Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid with a potency 10,000 times greater than that of morphine. For this and other reasons carfentanil is a substance with dual interest, since it has been used as an incapacitating agent and as an abuse drug. Among the toxicokinetic characteristics of carfentanil, its high lipid solubility stands out. In addition, there is the possibility that carfentanil follows a non-linear elimination kinetics. In 2002 this compound was used by the Russian Security Forces to try to resolve the hostage crisis at the Dubrovka theater in Moscow, causing the death of at least 123 hostages. On the other hand, carfentanil has been used as a drug of abuse and as an adulterant in other drugs. In case of carfentanil overdose, the administration of repeated doses of antidote may be necessary. The content of this review justifies the need to develop and validate an analytical method for the detection of carfentanil and its metabolite norcarfentanil in biological samples.

Keywords : Carfentanil; Toxicokinetics; Incapacitating agent; Abuse drug; Drug adulteration; Antidote.

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