U-47700 – Incidence of a novel psychoactive substance in a series of medical examiner cases in Oakland County, MI

Abstract

U-47700 is one of many drugs that have been part of a group of compounds called novel psychoactive substances (NPS). U-47700 is a synthetic opioid agonist developed by Upjohn pharmaceuticals but never approved. The Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office in Pontiac, Michigan, began observing this compound in the fall of 2016, primarily in cases with other drugs of abuse and NPS. This communication described 18 drug-related deaths in which U-47700 was detected. Blood U-47700 concentrations ranged from 0.37 to 370 ng/mL (mean 35 and median 4.9 ng/mL). Other opioids were detected in 83% of the cases. Other drugs present in these cases are described as well as the scene investigation. While only one death was likely due directly to U-47700, the cases described here demonstrate how NPS have become an important consideration in evaluating drug-related deaths today.

Keywords

• autopsy
• death
• investigation
• michigan
• opioid
• overdose
• u-47700