DC Public Health Lab discovers dangerous new drug through needle exchange program

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - A new drug has been discovered on the streets of D.C. and is raising some major concerns as experts say it is more potent than fentanyl.

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Chemists at the DC Public Health Lab found the drug thanks to the District's needle exchange program.

"For us, it is a bit concerning, just because we had previous reports of this popping up in other cities around the U.S.," says DC Public Health Lab chemist Alexandra Evans. "So, we knew that this could surface in D.C. at any point."

The synthetic opioid was found in a syringe, indicating the drug is being used intravenously.

FOX 5's Shirin Rajaee asked Evans what we know about this drug at this point.

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"What we know is that it is more potent than fentanyl, which is why we do recommend using Narcan and it's possible that it will require more doses of Narcan to achieve the same effect as if you were treating fentanyl," Evans says.

Watch FOX 5's full interview with the DC Public Health Lab above.