CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Doctors with UVA Health are warning about an emerging class of synthetic opioids that are not detected by fentanyl test strips or routine opioid drug screens.
The drugs, known as orphines, include cychlorphine, brorphine, spirochlorphine and chlorphine. Cychlorphine is a particularly concerning new synthetic opioid that can be up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Fentanyl test strips are designed to detect fentanyl and do not detect orphines. UVA Health warns that a negative fentanyl test does not mean a drug is safe or free of other dangerous substances.
Earlier this year, ONDCP issued a national drug threat notice for cychlorphine after the drug was linked to at least 55 deaths. The drug was identified in 106 reports across 10 states in 2025, compared with one report in 2024. It has been detected in all four U.S. Census regions, with the highest number of reports in Ohio, Texas and Tennessee.
Cychlorphine has also been linked to at least 41 overdose deaths in Tennessee between July 2025 and February 2026, according to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.
The drug can be mixed into illicit powders, other drugs or counterfeit prescription pills, meaning people may not know they are taking it. It has been found both on its own and in combination with fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and other substances.
Health officials say cychlorphine can make overdose treatment more difficult. ONDCP recommends that emergency responders, health care providers and the public be prepared to administer additional doses of naloxone when necessary and seek immediate medical attention for suspected overdoses.
Cychlorphine was first detected in the United States in 2024 and has become increasingly common in the illicit drug supply. Health officials say the emergence of cychlorphine is another example of how quickly the illicit drug supply can change. Newsweek reports that its presence in the U.S. seems to have increased after China placed restrictions on nitazenes in July 2025.
