New Opioid Up To 10 Times Stronger Than Fentanyl Spreading Across US

TUESDAY, Sept. 29, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A powerful new lab-made opioid is moving through the illegal U.S. drug supply, and federal officials warn it could keep spreading.

The drug, called cychlorphine, may be up to 10 times stronger than fentanyl, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

In an April 30 drug threat notice, the office said cychlorphine had turned up in every region of the country. It was most common in Ohio, Texas and Tennessee.

As of that notice, at least 55 deaths nationwide had been linked to the drug in 2025 and 2026.

Tennessee has been hit especially hard. At least 41 overdose deaths there were tied to cychlorphine between July 2025 and February 2026, ONDCP noted.

Cychlorphine appeared in 106 drug samples from 10 states in 2025, up from a single sample in 2024, according to ONDCP.

Cychlorphine isn”t a form of fentanyl. It belongs to a newer family of synthetic opioids called orphines. Like other opioids, it can slow breathing to deadly levels in high doses.

It has been found on its own and mixed with fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and sedatives. It can also be hidden in fake pills made to look like prescription medicine, according to Discover.

Worse, it”s hard to detect. 

“Cychlorphine is not detected by drug test strips or in routine hospital opioid urine screens,” ONDCP warned.

That means deaths from the drug are likely being undercounted, according to an editorial published recently in the Journal of Pain Research. 

The authors — led by Robert Raffa, professor emeritus at Temple University”s School of Pharmacy in Philadelphia — confirmed the drug takes specialized lab testing to detect.

ONDCP urges anyone who might respond to an overdose to be ready with extra doses of naloxone (Narcan), a medicine that reverses opioid overdoses.

Some warnings have suggested naloxone may not work against cychlorphine. But the editorial”s authors said no published clinical evidence backs that up. 

They expect naloxone to work as it does for other opioids, though the drug”s strength means multiple doses may be needed.

When an overdose doesn”t respond, they said, other drugs are the more likely culprit. Naloxone can”t reverse sedatives called benzodiazepines, which often turn up alongside cychlorphine.

Teens may be especially at risk from fake pills either purchased online or offered by a peer. While awareness is up, teens may be a bit too trusting about accepting pills from people they know. 

Only 1 in 3 consider a pill from someone close to them to be dangerous, compared with nearly 9 in 10 for a pill from a stranger, Discover reported.

Anyone who may be overdosing needs emergency care right away, and 911 should be called right away, ONDCP advised.

More information

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information about how to prevent an overdose.