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On June 5, 2017, the Georgia Poison Center (GPC) was notified by an emergency department (ED) doctor of five patients with similar respiratory and central nervous system symptoms. This call began a rapid response by the GPC to coordinate with key partners, identify the cause and other potentially related cases, and disseminate information to the public (see figure below). The GPC subsequently learned that all five patients bought what they thought to be Percocet pills from the same illicit drug house earlier the same day. The counterfeit Percocet pills were later found to contain a mixture of two synthetic fentanyl analogues, U-47700, and a previously unidentified compound, cyclopropyl fentanyl.
Read the full NDEWS News, Issue 4: June 2017 Synthetic Opioid Outbreak in Georgia Highlights the Value of Poison Control Centers for the Rapid Detection of Drug Use Outbreaks
