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      Fentanyl, Powerful Drug that Killed Prince, Presents Growing Threat

   by Reuters

   Fentanyl, a powerful painkiller that a medical examiner identified as
   the drug that killed the superstar Prince six weeks ago, has been
   responsible for an epidemic of overdose deaths around the United
   States, according to federal officials.

   The most potent narcotic known, it is a man-made opioid 50 times
   stronger than heroin and 100 times more so than morphine, according to
   the U.S. Centers for Disease Control website. The agency says illegally
   manufactured non-pharmaceutical fentanyl, and related overdoses, are a
   rising problem.

   Fifty-seven-year-old Prince, one of the most influential musicians of
   his generation, was found dead in his home in a Minneapolis suburb on
   April 21. He died of an accidental, self-administered overdose of the
   drug, the county medical examiner said in a death report Thursday.

   Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids jumped by 80 percent in 2014
   over the previous year, the CDC said, suggesting much of the increase
   may reflect the greater availability of illegally made fentanyl. In
   Ohio, fentanyl overdoses jumped to 514 in 2014 from 92 a year earlier,
   for example.

   Federal response

   The problem has triggered a federal response. U.S. President Barack
   Obama earlier this year asked Congress for $1.1 billion in new funding
   over two years to expand treatment for users of heroin and prescription
   painkillers.

   The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration last year issued a nationwide
   alert about the dangers of fentanyl, saying even a tiny amount can
   kill. A pain reliever usually used for terminally ill patients, it is
   also produced in underground labs for sale as a street drug.

   While fentanyl was largely a problem in the Midwest and on the East
   Coast in recent years, in April, a rash of fentanyl overdoses hit
   northern California, 10 of them fatal.

   It is not clear whether Prince had a prescription for fentanyl after a
   reported hip surgery. And if he was prescribed the drug, it is not
   known by what doctor, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Thursday.

   High risk of overdose

   Burt Kahn, a lawyer who specializes in medical negligence, said there
   was a potential for criminal liability if a doctor prescribed fentanyl
   to Prince, or got him habituated, and then withdrew the drug.

   "Fentanyl is a drug that would almost never be prescribed to a patient
   like Prince who doesn't have terminal cancer, because the potential for
   overdose is extremely high," Kahn said.

   He said doctors ordinarily would want to closely monitor the vital
   signs of a patient taking fentanyl, to make sure the drug is not
   slowing down breathing or heart rate, although it can be administered
   in patches to control the dosage.

   Fentanyl threats have come in waves, the DEA said. There were more than
   1,000 deaths attributed to fentanyl between 2005 and 2007, mostly in
   Chicago, Detroit and Philadelphia, traced to a single lab in Mexico
   that was dismantled.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/fentanyl-drug-killed-prince-growing-t
   hreat/3359967.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/fentanyl-drug-killed-prince-growing-threat/3359967.html