A synthetic opiate linked to 12 deaths in Rhode Island has been identified as a never-before-seen variant of the painkiller fentanyl.
"It has not been described elsewhere in the country, or Canada," said Dr. James McDonald, a Health Department physician.
The medical examiner found that 10 people who died between March 7 and April 11 had a substance in their blood that appeared to be an opiate but was not a known drug. Follow-up testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an independent laboratory identified the drug as Acetanilide, n-1-Phenethyl-4-Piperidyl or acetyl fentanyl, an opiate similar to morphine.
Two other deaths have since been linked to the drug. All are from northern Rhode Island and thought to be intravenous drug users.