Fentanyl Overdoses Worry Pennsylvania Officials

NPR

Published August 2, 2013 at 11:40 AM MDT

So far this year, 50 people have died in Pennsylvania from fentanyl-related overdoses.

Fentanyl is a prescription drug — an opiate more powerful than morphine.

It is often used to treat cancer patients experiencing extreme pain. An illicit, non-prescription version of fentanyl led to hundreds of deaths in Pennsylvania in 2006.

From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Elana Gordon of WHYY reports that state health and drug enforcement officials are worried it’s on the rise again.

Reporter

Elana Gordon, health and science reporter for WHYY. She tweets@Elana_Gordon.