There is growing evidence of harms due to nitazenes in Australia.  Nitazenes are a group of highly potent synthetic opioids, up to 1000 times more potent than morphine by some measures. There have been several detections of nitazenes in Australia since the first report to the NSW Poisons Information Centre in 2021.  

Our new briefing

Our emerging drug briefing on nitazenes, published today, covers the origins of nitazenes, their presence and impact in Australia, and an overview of harm reduction strategies to respond to them.  
 

Case study: Lessons from Ireland 

Last week, we were joined by colleagues from HSE Ireland to discuss their response to a rapid escalation in nitazene-related overdoses in 2023, and how their experience can inform Australia’s preparedness.  
 
Watch the webinar:  

All published drug alerts can be found on theknow.org.au.  

For media enquiries please email nadine.ezard@svha.org.au.

The National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs is made up of a consortium of the following four institutions