Drug significantly more potent than fentanyl circulating in Manitoba

A substance 20 to 100 times more potent than fentanyl is of rising concern in Manitoba.

Nitazenes – an old drug with a new purpose – were developed in the 1950s as a pain reliever but were never approved for market. Now they’re resurfacing in illegal drugs.

A Manitoba medical officer of health says “it’s very concerning.”

“We’ve seen a lot of changes to supply, especially since the onset of the pandemic,” said Dr. Sarah Lesperance.

Lesperance works with Street Connections, one of the community agencies that provides drug testing and harm reduction in hopes of preventing overdoses.

Street Connections calls “nitazene” a high-potency, lab-made opioid that could cause unintended overdoses.

Numbers from Health Canada show nitazenes in nine samples from Manitoba police agencies last year – up from three the year prior. Those numbers only represent tested samples and don’t include numbers from health partners like Street Connections. But even there, they’re hard to detect through standard drug tests or testing strips.

“The potency of the drug means that oftentimes, a very small amount of it will be present in the sample,” Lesperance explained. “We have limitations here, not only that we only check one part of the substance, but we can’t really detect things that are under 10 per cent.”

Earlier this month, Street Connections found pills sold as hydromorphone test positive for nitazene.

“White triangular pill with markings ‘DD’ and ‘8’ bought as ‘hydromorphone’ was tested at Street Connections on March 26, 2025, and send for confirmatory testing at Health Canada Drug Analysis Services (DAS). Results from DAS confirmed the sample to contain N-Pyrrolidino Protonitazene (<1%),” the group wrote on its website’s drug alerts page.

All drug alerts are posted there, and Street Connections passes out paper copies to warn users.

Lesperance says nitazenes are just part of the rising concerns, as the province is seeing an overall rise in drug toxicity.

She says you can save someone’s child, sibling or friend by calling 911 if you see or expect an overdose. More resources can be found at the mobile overdose prevention site by Sunshine House and Street Connections.