GPs warned amid ‘worrying spike’ in nitazenes

Authorities have issued an urgent warning to doctors amid a ‘worrying spike’ in nitazenes, with the illegal and synthetic opioid increasingly being detected in fake pain-relief medications.
 
New data from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) reveals that between January 2024 and March 2025, eight nitazene imports were detected at the Australian border.
 
The imports originated from countries including Canada, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong and were largely imported via international mail, however, there is no evidence nitazenes are being manufactured in Australia.
 
Additionally, between April 2024 and February 2025, state and territory police seized counterfeit pharmaceuticals which were almost identical in appearance to oxycodone pills, with forensic analysis showing they contained nitazenes.
 
Nitazenes have now been detected in counterfeit pain-relief medication in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.
 
The synthetic opioids are considered so potent, the AFP also has concerns for the safety of doctors who are exposed to them or treating people who consume them.
 
AFP Acting Assistant Commissioner Paula Hudson is now pleading with Australians to only consume pharmaceuticals prescribed and dispensed by registered health practitioners and pharmacists.
 
‘We cannot understate the dangers which surround any use of this illicit and highly potent drug. If you choose to take it, you are gambling with your life,’ she said.
 
‘Those who consume counterfeit pharmaceuticals have no idea what they are putting in their body and the potential health impacts they could face.’
 
In response to the warning, Dr Marguerite Tracy, RACGP alcohol and other drugs spokesperson, said it highlights an ‘urgent need’ for drug-testing services.
 
‘Drug-testing services, otherwise known as pill-testing services, save lives,’ she said. 
 
‘This latest advice from the AFP is very concerning, because people taking counterfeit pharmaceuticals just don’t know what they’re consuming, including deadly substances such as synthetic opioids.   
 
‘Drug-testing services, particularly fixed sites that people can visit at times of their choosing, are a sensible harm-reduction measure, because it at least gives them some idea of what they’re taking.’
 
Dr Tracy said the expansion of pill-testing services is ‘not about condoning illegal drug use’, instead, it is helping people make informed decisions. 
 
While pill-testing services have been operating in some states for several years now, the AFP’s most recent warning comes just weeks after the Queensland Government closed its drug-testing sites.
 
‘Other jurisdictions don’t have drug-testing services at all, and we need that to change. We must have these life-saving services across Australia,’ Dr Tracy said.
 
‘Overdose deaths don’t discriminate, and they don’t happen to “other people”, it could be your child, friend, family member or colleague.
 
‘New, powerfully dangerous drugs are hitting our shores more regularly, and lives will be lost unless action is taken.’ 
 
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