The Rise and Fall of Isotonitazene and Brorphine: Two Recent Stars in the Synthetic Opioid Firmament

Abstract

Abstract Synthetic opioids constitute one of the fastest-growing groups of new psychoactive substances (NPS) worldwide. With fentanyl analogues being increasingly controlled via classwide scheduling, many non-fentanyl-related opioids are now emerging on the recreational opioid market, rendering the landscape highly complex and dynamic. While new compounds are entering the supply in rapid and unpredictable manners, some recent patterns have become apparent. Many of these newly emerging opioids are being pirated from early patent literature and/or research papers, synthesized and sold online through various channels. Burdened by the identification of every newly emerging drug, many toxicology labs struggle to keep up. Moreover, by the time a ‘new’ drug is controlled via legislative measures, illicit drug markets will have already adapted and diversified as manufacturers work to avoid the restricted product(s). Hence, the typical life cycle of an NPS opioid is generally short (less than 6 months to 1 year), with only a few drugs escalating to significant numbers of detections. In this review, we summarize the key events in the emergence, rise and subsequent decline of two non-fentanyl opioids—isotonitazene and brorphine. These two opioids sequentially dominated the NPS opioid market in 2019 and 2020. Both isotonitazene and brorphine remained in circulation for over a year, each contributing to hundreds of deaths and adverse events. By detailing the life cycles of these opioids from their earliest synthesis as described in scientific literature to their subsequent rise and fall on recreational markets, this review illustrates the new characteristic life cycle of synthetic opioids in the ‘post-fentanyl-analogue’ era.