A fentanyl countermeasure that adapts to combat future black-market drugs

Article excerpt

Researchers have developed a fentanyl countermeasure designed to adapt as black-market drug makers create new variants of the synthetic opioid. Fentanyl and its analogs kill more Americans annually than car accidents and gun violence combined, overwhelming brain chemistry and suppressing breathing in lethal doses. Current overdose reversal medications work only if administered within a narrow window after overdose occurs. The adaptive approach aims to stay ahead of illicit chemists who continuously modify fentanyl's molecular structure to evade existing treatments and law enforcement detection.