ILLEGAL PAINKILLER CITED IN OVERDOSE SURGE

A two-year wave of deaths caused by an illegal street version of the
powerful painkiller fentanyl claimed more than 1,000 lives, the
federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the
government's first assessment of the outbreak's toll.

A rash of fatal overdoses occurred between 2005 and 2007 in several
U.S. metropolitan areas before a law-enforcement crackdown stifled
supply of the drug. That outbreak was the first time illicitly
produced fentanyl was linked to such a large increase in deaths in the
U.S., as opposed to fatalities from heroin or other drugs commonly
sold on the street. Fentanyl is a potent prescription painkiller
manufactured by pharmaceutical companies, often taken in the form of a
patch or lollipop. The painkiller is prescribed to cancer patients or
others suffering from severe, chronic pain. But it also can be made by
rogue chemists into a lethal narcotic powder that is much more
powerful than heroin, said T. Stephen Jones, a consultant and former
CDC official who was the report's lead author. This illegal powder
version can be sold mixed with cocaine or heroin or as a substitute
for heroin.

A cluster of deaths in Camden, N.J., first brought the matter to
officials' attention. Health and law-enforcement officials then
identified similar waves in Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, St. Louis
and other areas, according to a report published Thursday. The report
tallied at least 1,013 deaths, though its lead author said many deaths
likely went unreported. Smaller clusters of deaths from illegal
fentanyl supplies have occurred before in the U.S., such as the "China
White" outbreak in the 1980s, which caused at least 110 fatal overdoses.

The 2005-07 outbreak largely subsided after officials shut down a
fentanyl-producing operation in Mexico suspected as the main source.
Still, the CDC report noted that painkillers continue to play a big
role in fatal drug overdoses, and said deaths from unintentional drug
poisonings doubled to 22,448 between 1999 and 2005.