Letter comes as Trump administration reduces funding and workforce to counter ongoing fentanyl crisis
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today led his colleagues in pressing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on how it is prioritizing a federal response to the growing threat of synthetic opioids, specifically a class of drugs known as “nitazenes.”
Although nitazenes were originally developed as pain relievers in the 1950s, these synthetic opioids are now illicitly manufactured abroad and then trafficked across the United States. Illicitly-manufactured nitazenes have been shown to be more than ten times more powerful than fentanyl. Nitazenes frequently go undetected in toxicology screenings, so the full extent of its role in overdoses and addiction remains unknown. Despite the growing threat, the federal response to the growing crisis has remained insufficient.
“Without swift intervention, nitazenes will drive a new wave of addiction and overdose deaths,” the senators wrote to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “There is an urgent need for a coordinated federal response that prioritizes prevention, early detection, treatment, and expanded access to harm reduction tools like naloxone, especially as law enforcement agencies like the DEA have classified nitazenes as an emerging threat. We urge the Department of Health and Human Services to formulate a strategy to address the rising threat of nitazenes before it escalates into a full-scale public health crisis.”
Earlier this year, the Trump administration terminated more than 100 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) employees, reducing its staff to less than 50 percent capacity. SAMHSA, under Health and Human Services, provides key addiction and mental health treatment services. Wyden led his colleagues in slamming the Trump administration for purging the HHS of staff on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic.
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has classified nitazenes as a growing threat, but there remains an urgent need for a coordinated federal response that prioritizes prevention, early detection, and expanded access to harm reduction tools like naloxone. The senators emphasized the need for a plan that includes investing in research to develop resources which could reverse overdoses.
Wyden is joined in the letter by Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
Given the alarming threat of nitazenes, the senators request answers from HHS on how it would monitor, mitigate, and respond to this emerging threat, specifically:
- What steps is HHS taking to improve detection and reporting of nitazene-related overdoses and deaths across states?
- Does CDC plan to expand routine toxicology screening protocols to include nitazenes in state and local medical examiner systems?
- How is HHS coordinating with DEA and state health departments to ensure timely identification of new nitazene analogs?
- What resources or technical assistance is HHS providing to laboratories to increase their capacity to detect nitazenes?
- Has HHS issued, or does it plan to issue, national guidance or alerts to clinicians, first responders, and harm-reduction organizations about nitazene risks and detection challenges?
- What efforts are underway to ensure that harm-reduction organizations and people who use drugs receive timely information about nitazene-contaminated supplies?
- Are there plans to integrate nitazene awareness into existing opioid-response campaigns or naloxone distribution programs?
- What evidence does HHS have regarding naloxone’s effectiveness against nitazene-involved overdoses at current recommended doses?
- If higher or repeated doses of naloxone are required, is HHS providing updated training or guidance to local health departments and first responders?
- How is HHS ensuring that medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) programs are equipped to address patients exposed to ultra-potent synthetic opioids?
The text of the letter is here.
A web version of this release is here.
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