Chemistry:Cychlorphine
Cychlorphine (N-Propionitrile chlorphine) is a synthetic opioid chemical compound which has been sold as a designer drug, reported in five European countries since 2024, and in the USA.[1] It has been found in Canada as of September 2025.[2] It is similar in chemical structure to known opioid agonists such as brorphine and spirochlorphine, and is claimed to be an opioid with similar or slightly higher potency than fentanyl, but no pharmacological data for cychlorphine have been published.[3][4][5] It is not a structural analog of morphine, despite the similar name. Instead, it is an orphine.[6] Furthermore, it has been detected as the sole active opioid in fake pharmaceutical opioid preparations that are supposed to contain hydromorphone or oxycodone, further increasing the risk of accidental overdoses.[2]
At least 5 people have died from a cychlorphine overdose in England in 2025.[7] Another death was reported in San Francisco, California in April 2026.[8] According to Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan, chief medical officer of Knox and Anderson counties, Tennessee, there have been over 50 fatal cychlorphine overdoses in the greater Knoxville area since October, 2025.[9]
It was added to the German NpSG in December 2025.[10]
See also
- Bezitramide
- List of orphine opioids
References
- ↑ "Non-fatal opioid overdose associated predominantly with the benzimidazolone, cychlorphine". Clinical Toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.): 1–2. December 2025. doi:10.1080/15563650.2025.2594070. PMID 41347459.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "A new opioid has been found in Toronto's drug supply and users may not even know it". November 4, 2025. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/new-opioid-toronto-unregulated-drug-supply-9.6966764.
- ↑ "Chlorphine". NPS Discovery — New Drug Monograph. The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education (CSFRE). https://www.cfsre.org/images/monographs/Chlorphine-New-Drug-Monograph-NPS-Discovery.pdf.
- ↑ "European Drug Report 2025 – Full Book". European Union Drugs Agency (euda.europa.eu). 6 June 2025. https://www.euda.europa.eu/system/files/documents/2025-06/edr-2025-full-book-6.06.2025-en.pdf.
- ↑ Janssen PA, "Derivatives of benzimidazolinyl piperidine", US patent 3318900, issued 9 May 1967
- ↑ "Increase in Fatal Overdoses Linked to Novel Synthetic Opioid N-Propionitrile Chlorphine (Cychlorphine)". January 30, 2026. https://www.cfsre.org/nps-discovery/public-alerts/increase-in-fatal-overdoses-linked-to-novel-synthetic-opioid-n-propionitrile-chlorphine-cychlorphine.
- ↑ "Warning over new opioid 200 times stronger than heroin as three dead within days". December 5, 2025. https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/drug-deaths-cychlorphine-opioid-camden-london/.
- ↑ "Fatal Overdose Involving Novel Synthetic Opioids". April 24, 2026. https://www.sf.gov/news-fatal-overdose-involving-novel-synthetic-opioids.
- ↑ "A Medical Examiner Chases Down an Elusive Killer". May 4, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/health/knoxville-medical-examiners-drugs-cychlorphine.html.
- ↑ "synthetisches Opioid Cychlorphine im Raum Karlsruhe" (in de). 2025-12-17. https://www.aidshilfe.de/drogen/aktuelles/warnmeldung-synthetisches-opioid-cychlorphine-im-raum-karlsruhe.
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