Carfentanil

Carfentanil or Carfentanyl is an analogue of the popular synthetic opioid analgesic fentanyl, and is one of the most potent opioids known (also the most potent opioid used commercially). It has a quantitative potency approximately 10,000 times that of morphine and 100 times that of fentanyl, activity in humans starting at about 1 μg. It is marketed under the trade name Wildnil as a tranquilizer for large animals. Carfentanil is intended for animal use only as its extreme potency makes it inappropriate for use in humans.

It is thought that in the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis, the Russian military made use of an aerosol form of carfentanil to subdue Chechen hostage takers. Its short action, easy reversability and therapeutic index (10600 vs. 300 for fentanyl) would make it a near-perfect agent for this purpose. Wax et al. surmise from the available evidence that the Moscow emergency services had not been informed of the use of the agent, and therefore did not have adequate supplies of naloxone or naltrexone (opioid antagonists) to prevent complications in many of the victims. Assuming that carfentanil was the only active constituent (which has not been verified by the Russian military), the primary acute toxic effect to the theatre victims would have been opioid-induced apnoea; in this case mechanical ventilation and/or treatment with opioid antagonists would have been life-saving for many or all victims.

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