Erie County health officials have reported the first death due to an overdose of carfentanil, a synthetic opioid that is about 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl, according to the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office.

While carfentanil does have some limited clinical uses, veterinarians generally use it to anesthetize large animals like elephants for surgery or medical treatment. 

"Carfentanil’s effects hit faster and last longer than fentanyl. The discovery of this toxic and incredibly dangerous drug signals another phase in the opioid epidemic,” said Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. "Now that we know that carfentanil has made its way into the local illicit drug supply, we need to reinforce the risks for people who use any illicit drugs, including drugs not marketed as opioids, such as cocaine, and emphasize the support, resources and harm reduction tactics available for people to avoid injury and death."

The death occurred in September, and toxicology tests for that case confirmed the presence of multiple substances, including carfentanil, cocaine, fentanyl and other fentanyl analogs.

"Our Medical Examiner’s Office investigated 371 confirmed or suspected opioid-related overdose deaths in 2023, with another month left this year. That is already 20% higher than the total in 2022, which was our highest total ever and the year is not over yet," Dr. Burstein explained. "Given the volume of opioid-related overdose deaths in 2023, it is possible that toxicology testing will confirm carfentanil in other cases."

While Narcan (naloxone) will work to reverse the effects of carfentanil, health officials say that, because of its potency, higher doses doses of naloxone may be required.