New drug emerges in central Indiana – 95.3 MNC

A new drug called Nitazene, which is more powerful than fentanyl, has surfaced in central Indiana. It was recently linked to a fatal overdose. The Hamilton County coroner says Nitazene is sometimes called the “Frankenstein drug” because of its potency.

Nitazene was found in a 39-year-old man who died. The medical examiner said the initial toxicology report was negative, although there was clear evidence of an overdose. The county then asked the lab to look for other substances, and they discovered Nitazene.

“Most people buy this drug without knowing it,” said medical examiner Jeff Jellison. “They order the pills from the black market pharmacy. In effect, they are getting a cocktail of poisons.”

Fishers police are investigating to determine whether the pill came from a black market pharmacy overseas or was sold locally in Indiana.

Nitazene, the drug discovered in the current case, was discovered in the 1950s as a potential replacement for morphine, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has never approved it.