New synthetic opioid linked to more than 50 deaths in East Tennessee
The drug is about 10 times more potent than fentanyl, which is 200 times as powerful as heroin.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - A new synthetic opioid has been linked to more than 50 deaths in East Tennessee since late October, according to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.
The drug is called N-Propionitrile Chlorphine, or cychlorphine, and is about 10 times more potent than fentanyl, which itself is 200 times as powerful as heroin, officials said. The drug may not be fully reversible with Narcan.
Chris Thomas, the center’s director and chief administrative officer, said in February the drug had been found in eight East Tennessee counties. At that time, the drug had only been linked to 16 deaths.
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“I’m not saying we’re the first to identify it, but we are the first to bring it to the public’s attention,” Thomas said during Monday’s meeting with Brandon Styles, of the Metro Drug Coalition, and members of the Knoxville Leadership Foundation.
Styles, a regional overdose prevention specialist, said one of the best ways for groups to work more efficiently is to share data. Both he and Thomas noted that “to share data means to save lives.”
Thomas said Knox County isn’t a hotspot for the drug but rather a hotspot for surveilling the new opioid. This may be because Tennessee has more resources for advanced testing compared to other regions.
“It’s not picked up on normal toxicology screens,” Thomas said in February. “The drug requires additional testing or samples sent to research facilities for detection and quantification.”
According to the Center for Forensic Science, the drug was first detected in North America in September 2025 in Canada and is often used in conjunction with other drugs such as methamphetamines and fentanyl.
The drug is in the early investigative stages with limited pharmacological data available. The Center for Forensic Science, Research and Education is conducting studies on how the drug interacts in the body.
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