Synthetic opioids may have caused hundreds more UK deaths than thought
Deaths caused by a synthetic opioid that is hundreds of times stronger than heroin may have been underestimated by up to a third across the UK, according to research,Nitazenes are a class of synthetic opioids that are extremely potent, and up to 500 times stronger than heroin,They were manufactured originally as a painkiller in the 1950s but their development was halted due to their extreme potencies resulting in a high risk of addiction,In 2024, the National Crime Agency (NCA) reported that 333 fatalities across the UK were linked to the drug,However, researchers at King’s College London say that the true number of deaths may have been underreported, due to concerns that samples of the drug are likely being missed in postmortem toxicology tests.
The study involved researchers testing samples from rats that had been anaesthetised with the drug, and finding that on average only 14% of the nitazene present at the time of overdose was still present when tested under real-world pathology and toxicology sample-handling conditions.After this, the academics applied modelling to data from the UK National Programme on Substance Use Mortality (NPSUM) to reveal that there was an excess of drug deaths in Birmingham in 2023 by a third.The researchers concluded that an explanation for the discrepancy could be due to the non-detection of nitazene by toxicologists in these instances.“As a significant proportion of deaths are likely being missed, this has serious implications for the accuracy of drug-related mortality data, which are used to inform the design and funding of harm reduction strategies,” said Dr Caroline Copeland, a senior lecturer in pharmacology and toxicology at King’s and lead author of the study.She added: “If nitazenes are degrading in postmortem blood samples, then we are almost certainly undercounting the true number of deaths that they are causing.
That means we’re trying to tackle a crisis using incomplete data,When we don’t measure a problem properly, we don’t design the right interventions – and the inevitable consequence is that preventable deaths will continue,“Behind this undercount are people dying suddenly from extremely potent opioids, families left without answers, and communities facing a growing but largely hidden toll,”Synthetic opioids have become an increasing public health concern in recent years,In Scotland, health experts have warned that the country faces a fresh drug deaths crisis due to highly potent synthetic opioids already linked to more than 100 fatalities.
Mike Trace, the chief executive of the Forward Trust and co-creator of the UK’s first national drug strategy, said: “The extreme potency of nitazenes has clearly contributed to rising overdose and death rates amongst people who use drugs.This research shows the official numbers are probably underestimates, supporting our calls for the government to be braver in rolling out drug testing and overdose prevention measures to save lives.“With over 17,000 people per year across the UK dying from drug or alcohol-related causes, we cannot afford to be hesitant in providing lifesaving health services to people taking illegal drugs.A government spokesperson said: “Every death from the misuse of drugs is a tragedy.This government is committed to reducing drug-related deaths and supporting more people into recovery to live healthier, longer lives.
“We remain on high alert to emerging drug threats, working closely with health services and policing partners to stay ahead of criminals who target our communities,Border Force has also become the first agency in the world to use specially trained dogs to detect both deadly fentanyl and nitazenes,”
NatWest is chasing the mass affluent wallet. So is everyone else | Nils Pratley
Announce a £2.7bn acquisition and watch your stock market value fall by £3.1bn.NatWest picked a bad day to announce its big move in the fashionable field of “wealth management” – the noise from Westminster created a poor backdrop for UK assets such as gilts and domestic banks. But the main problem with its Evelyn Partners deal is that it is very much of the “one for the long term” variety
Rise in UK borrowing costs reverses after cabinet backs Starmer
UK borrowing costs dipped back on Monday after rising earlier in the day, as cabinet ministers voiced support for the embattled Keir Starmer.The yield, or interest rate, on UK benchmark bonds initially increased on Monday as traders reacted to Sunday’s resignation of the prime minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, over the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington.Yields rose further after the Downing Street communications director, Tim Allan, resigned on Monday morning, with long-term borrowing costs then hitting their highest level since November, as the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, called on Starmer to stand down as prime minister.With the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, saying Starmer’s position was “untenable” after the departure of McSweeney, and the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, agreeing he should resign, the City of London was weighing up the prime minister’s survival chances, and assessing the impact of likely replacements on the public finances and the economy.At one stage, the yield on 10-year UK government debt rose by as much as 7 basis points (0
EU threatens to act over Meta blocking rival AI chatbots from WhatsApp
The EU has threatened to take action against the social media company Meta, arguing it has blocked rival chatbots from using its WhatsApp messaging platform.The European Commission said on Monday that WhatsApp Business – which is designed to be used by businesses to interact with customers – appears to be in breach of EU antitrust rules.An upgrade to the messaging platform last October means the only AI assistant available to use on WhatsApp is Meta AI, the agent developed by the US tech group, which also owns Facebook and Instagram.The European Commission said Meta was the dominant player for messaging in the EU market and was “abusing” this position by “refusing access to WhatsApp to other businesses”.That position may cause “serious and irreparable harm on the market”, the commission added
Logitech MX Master 4 review: the best work mouse you can buy
Logitech’s latest productivity power-house updates one of the greatest mice of all time with smoother materials, a repair-friendly design and a haptic motor for phone-like vibrations on your desktop.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.The MX Master 4 is the latest evolution in a line of pioneering mice that dates back more than 20 years and has long been the mouse to beat for everything but hardcore PC gaming
Winter Olympics 2026: Jutta Leerdam takes speed skating gold but GB medal wait goes on – live
What a finale. The last pair of the day, facing a new Olympic record having just been set, only to see it last just a few minutes. Leerdam is powerful on her start, clocks one lap in just over 26 seconds, and finishes with her height and her long strides 1:12:31. Her teammate, Femke Kok, looks on, not knowing what to think by the looks of it, some poignancy to her expression seeing her own possible gold medal become silver but seeing her national team take the top two spots in this race. Leerdam can’t believe she’s done it
Twickenham crackdown with 24 fines for ‘public urination’ after England v Wales
Unruly spectators at Twickenham felt the force of a crackdown on antisocial behaviour at the match between England and Wales last Saturday, with Richmond council issuing 24 fixed-penalty notices for public urination, the Guardian can reveal.The Rugby Football Union is trying to persuade local residents to ditch their opposition to proposals to increase the number of concerts held every year from three to 15. Much of the opposition centres around antisocial behaviour experienced during England matches and, as revealed by the Guardian, the RFU hosted a drop-in event for residents in an effort to convince them that their concerns were being taken seriously.Last Saturday, it is understood that 24 FPNs were handed out to those committing urinating offences which took place in a number of places including front gardens, alleyways, main roads, and bushes. That is despite attempts to tackle the problem by installing barriers in hotspots and deploying plain-clothed officers and stewards to ward off potential offenders
Futile resignations and blatant revisionism to the fore as Starmer staggers on | John Crace
Streeting wrote off his re-election chances in WhatsApp exchanges with Mandelson
Peter Unwin obituary
Sarwar has shown his ruthless streak. But will his swipe at Starmer mean anything to voters?
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar calls on Keir Starmer to stand down
Planning ahead: the political leadership campaigns that launched too soon