ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2025
Another carfentanil fatal outbreak in Florida?
Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Characterization of anti-fentanyl antibodies as antagonists of ultra-toxic, clinically relevant or endogenous opioids.Archives of toxicology · 2026Article
- The evolving epidemiology of opioid use disorder: polysubstance use, drug supply transformation, and policy implications.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIn 2016 and 2017, carfentanil was implicated in the deadliest fatal outbreak involving a fentanyl analog in the United States with 1190 deaths in Florida alone. Recent surveillance signals suggest that Florida is experiencing a resurgence in carfentanil-involved deaths. The purpose of this paper is to examine carfentanil-involved overdoses using up-to-date medical examiners reports triangulated with carfentanil-related indicators at multiple levels.
methodsFlorida's medical examiner data were analyzed in three periods (2016, 2017, 2018-2023) to examine changes in decedent demographic, geographic, and toxicologic characteristics. We triangulated six additional state and national data sources which included completed death certificates, the National Forensic Laboratory Information System, Reddit mentions, and clinical urine drug tests positive for carfentanil.
resultsThere were 24 carfentanil-involved deaths in a 2-month period (Dec/Nov 2023). Compared to 2017, recent decedents were significantly older (42.9 years old vs. 37.1 years old, p < 0.0001) with increased exposure to fentanyl (23.4-68.8 %, p < .0001) and methamphetamine (8.5-20.4 %, p = 0.0003). The state's prior three-county epicenter showed limited involvement (6.5 % vs. 18.9 % total carfentanil deaths) when compared to the prior outbreak. All triangulated national data sources showed strong retrospective concordance. More timely death certificate data suggests that monthly carfentanil deaths were more frequent (mean=4 deaths/mo.) in 2024.
conclusionsThe state may have averted a fatal outbreak as of December 2024, but carfentanil deaths have reached new monthly levels with increasingly active signals in other systems. These systems should be monitored regularly to decrease lag time in fatal overdose surveillance for a faster public health response.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.