Synthetic opioids may have caused hundreds more UK deaths than thought

The Guardian - World NewsEN 3 min read 100% complete by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondentFebruary 9, 2026 at 06:00 AM

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Research from King's College London indicates that UK deaths caused by nitazenes, a potent class of synthetic opioids, may be significantly underreported. While the National Crime Agency reported 333 nitazene-linked fatalities in 2024, the study suggests the actual number could be a third higher. Researchers found that nitazenes degrade in postmortem samples, leading to non-detection in toxicology tests. This conclusion was reached after testing samples from rats and applying modelling to UK mortality data, which revealed an excess of drug deaths in Birmingham in 2023. The underreporting has serious implications for accurately tracking drug-related deaths and implementing effective harm reduction strategies, potentially leading to preventable deaths.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Scotland 40% UK National Programme on Substance Use Mortality 50% Birmingham 50% Caroline Copeland 60% National Crime Agency 70% King's College London ×270% United Kingdom ×290%

Keywords

synthetic opioids 100% nitazenes 90% drug deaths 90% undercounting deaths 70% postmortem toxicology 70% drug-related mortality 60% harm reduction 60% toxicology tests 50% public health 50% national crime agency 40%