Novel Synthetic Opioids (NSOs) and Their Evolving Crisis: Utilizing NPSfinder® as a Real-Time Predictive Tool

Fabrizio Schifano; Elena Deligianni; Davide Arillotta; Alessando Vento; John Martin Corkery; Georgios  Papazisis; Antonios  Goulas; Lisa Lione

doi:10.1016/j.etdah.2025.100255

Abstract

Introduction: The rapidly evolving crisis of Novel Synthetic Opioids
(NSOs) poses a serious and growing threat for global public health. NSOs
include prescription/non-prescription opioids (fentanyl, non-fentanyl
analogues), herbal derivatives and other emerging analogues that are of
critical concern due to their high potency, misuse potential, addiction
and intoxication risk. Methodology: This study employed NPSfinder®
automated web-crawling tool, to detect, monitor, analyse and evaluate
the evolving situation of NSOs. Data was collected from selected high
traffic psychonaut online platforms to better understand the trends on
opioids market evolution and adaptability. It was investigated whether
the opioids identified by the NPSfinder® crawling in 2018 (Davide et
al., 2020) and 2023 have also been reported in other well-known Early
Warning Systems (EWSs) or remain emerging and unknown to the global
NPSs market assessing the predictability of the NPSfinder® tool.
Results: A total of 446 NSOs have been detected from the NPSfinder®
with 249 fentanyl analogues of which 176 (71%) were unique to NPSfinder
® and not listed to other well-known international EWSs (UNODC,
INCB Yellow list, INCB green list, CFSRE). Thirteen substances identified
as ultra potent including carfentanil (n = 6), ohmefentanyl (n = 2),
remifentanil (n = 3). Considering also that among the total 446 NSOs, the
252 substances (57%) identified were unique to NPSfinder® tool showcasing
its strong predictability. Conclusion: The study findings highlight
the diversification and evolvement of highly potent fentanyl analogues
not captured yet by EWSs. The outcomes, as a follow-up of our previous
study (Davide et al., 2020), indicate the remaining and growing
issue of unknown opioids available posing serious misuse risk and not
currently listed or controlled by European and International agencies.
There is urgent need for real-time, data-driven monitoring tools able
to predict, track, assess and evaluate NSOs trends, availability and use
trends to support timely interventions, policy responses, inform public
health and plan risk mitigation strategies.

Original language	English
Pages	20
Number of pages	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etdah.2025.100255
Publication status	Published - 15 Dec 2025
Event	XI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES - Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen (CUM), Nice, France Duration: 3 Nov 2025 → 4 Nov 2025 https://www.novelpsychoactivesubstances.org/

Conference

Conference	XI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES
Country/Territory	France
City	Nice
Period	3/11/25 → 4/11/25
Internet address	https://www.novelpsychoactivesubstances.org/

Keywords

Novel psychoactive substance
Novel synthetic opioids

Access to Document

10.1016/j.etdah.2025.100255Licence: CC BY-NC

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Cite this

@conference{6751f6089a44426aa58a34d7cae2b140,

title = "Novel Synthetic Opioids (NSOs) and Their Evolving Crisis: Utilizing NPSfinder{\textregistered} as a Real-Time Predictive Tool",

abstract = "Introduction: The rapidly evolving crisis of Novel Synthetic Opioids (NSOs) poses a serious and growing threat for global public health. NSOs include prescription/non-prescription opioids (fentanyl, non-fentanyl analogues), herbal derivatives and other emerging analogues that are of critical concern due to their high potency, misuse potential, addiction and intoxication risk. Methodology: This study employed NPSfinder{\textregistered} automated web-crawling tool, to detect, monitor, analyse and evaluate the evolving situation of NSOs. Data was collected from selected high traffic psychonaut online platforms to better understand the trends on opioids market evolution and adaptability. It was investigated whether the opioids identified by the NPSfinder{\textregistered} crawling in 2018 (Davide et al., 2020) and 2023 have also been reported in other well-known Early Warning Systems (EWSs) or remain emerging and unknown to the global NPSs market assessing the predictability of the NPSfinder{\textregistered} tool. Results: A total of 446 NSOs have been detected from the NPSfinder{\textregistered} with 249 fentanyl analogues of which 176 (71\%) were unique to NPSfinder {\textregistered} and not listed to other well-known international EWSs (UNODC, INCB Yellow list, INCB green list, CFSRE). Thirteen substances identified as ultra potent including carfentanil (n = 6), ohmefentanyl (n = 2), remifentanil (n = 3). Considering also that among the total 446 NSOs, the 252 substances (57\%) identified were unique to NPSfinder{\textregistered} tool showcasing its strong predictability. Conclusion: The study findings highlight the diversification and evolvement of highly potent fentanyl analogues not captured yet by EWSs. The outcomes, as a follow-up of our previous study (Davide et al., 2020), indicate the remaining and growing issue of unknown opioids available posing serious misuse risk and not currently listed or controlled by European and International agencies. There is urgent need for real-time, data-driven monitoring tools able to predict, track, assess and evaluate NSOs trends, availability and use trends to support timely interventions, policy responses, inform public health and plan risk mitigation strategies.",

keywords = "Novel psychoactive substance, Novel synthetic opioids",

author = "Fabrizio Schifano and Elena Deligianni and Davide Arillotta and Alessando Vento and Corkery, \{John Martin\} and Georgios Papazisis and Antonios Goulas and Lisa Lione",

note = "Published 15 December 2025; XI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES ; Conference date: 03-11-2025 Through 04-11-2025",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

day = "15",

doi = "10.1016/j.etdah.2025.100255",

language = "English",

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TY - CONF

T1 - Novel Synthetic Opioids (NSOs) and Their Evolving Crisis: Utilizing NPSfinder® as a Real-Time Predictive Tool

AU - Schifano, Fabrizio

AU - Deligianni, Elena

AU - Arillotta, Davide

AU - Vento, Alessando

AU - Corkery, John Martin

AU - Papazisis, Georgios

AU - Goulas, Antonios

AU - Lione, Lisa

N1 - Published 15 December 2025

PY - 2025/12/15

Y1 - 2025/12/15

N2 - Introduction: The rapidly evolving crisis of Novel Synthetic Opioids (NSOs) poses a serious and growing threat for global public health. NSOs include prescription/non-prescription opioids (fentanyl, non-fentanyl analogues), herbal derivatives and other emerging analogues that are of critical concern due to their high potency, misuse potential, addiction and intoxication risk. Methodology: This study employed NPSfinder® automated web-crawling tool, to detect, monitor, analyse and evaluate the evolving situation of NSOs. Data was collected from selected high traffic psychonaut online platforms to better understand the trends on opioids market evolution and adaptability. It was investigated whether the opioids identified by the NPSfinder® crawling in 2018 (Davide et al., 2020) and 2023 have also been reported in other well-known Early Warning Systems (EWSs) or remain emerging and unknown to the global NPSs market assessing the predictability of the NPSfinder® tool. Results: A total of 446 NSOs have been detected from the NPSfinder® with 249 fentanyl analogues of which 176 (71%) were unique to NPSfinder ® and not listed to other well-known international EWSs (UNODC, INCB Yellow list, INCB green list, CFSRE). Thirteen substances identified as ultra potent including carfentanil (n = 6), ohmefentanyl (n = 2), remifentanil (n = 3). Considering also that among the total 446 NSOs, the 252 substances (57%) identified were unique to NPSfinder® tool showcasing its strong predictability. Conclusion: The study findings highlight the diversification and evolvement of highly potent fentanyl analogues not captured yet by EWSs. The outcomes, as a follow-up of our previous study (Davide et al., 2020), indicate the remaining and growing issue of unknown opioids available posing serious misuse risk and not currently listed or controlled by European and International agencies. There is urgent need for real-time, data-driven monitoring tools able to predict, track, assess and evaluate NSOs trends, availability and use trends to support timely interventions, policy responses, inform public health and plan risk mitigation strategies.

AB - Introduction: The rapidly evolving crisis of Novel Synthetic Opioids (NSOs) poses a serious and growing threat for global public health. NSOs include prescription/non-prescription opioids (fentanyl, non-fentanyl analogues), herbal derivatives and other emerging analogues that are of critical concern due to their high potency, misuse potential, addiction and intoxication risk. Methodology: This study employed NPSfinder® automated web-crawling tool, to detect, monitor, analyse and evaluate the evolving situation of NSOs. Data was collected from selected high traffic psychonaut online platforms to better understand the trends on opioids market evolution and adaptability. It was investigated whether the opioids identified by the NPSfinder® crawling in 2018 (Davide et al., 2020) and 2023 have also been reported in other well-known Early Warning Systems (EWSs) or remain emerging and unknown to the global NPSs market assessing the predictability of the NPSfinder® tool. Results: A total of 446 NSOs have been detected from the NPSfinder® with 249 fentanyl analogues of which 176 (71%) were unique to NPSfinder ® and not listed to other well-known international EWSs (UNODC, INCB Yellow list, INCB green list, CFSRE). Thirteen substances identified as ultra potent including carfentanil (n = 6), ohmefentanyl (n = 2), remifentanil (n = 3). Considering also that among the total 446 NSOs, the 252 substances (57%) identified were unique to NPSfinder® tool showcasing its strong predictability. Conclusion: The study findings highlight the diversification and evolvement of highly potent fentanyl analogues not captured yet by EWSs. The outcomes, as a follow-up of our previous study (Davide et al., 2020), indicate the remaining and growing issue of unknown opioids available posing serious misuse risk and not currently listed or controlled by European and International agencies. There is urgent need for real-time, data-driven monitoring tools able to predict, track, assess and evaluate NSOs trends, availability and use trends to support timely interventions, policy responses, inform public health and plan risk mitigation strategies.

KW - Novel psychoactive substance

KW - Novel synthetic opioids

U2 - 10.1016/j.etdah.2025.100255

DO - 10.1016/j.etdah.2025.100255

M3 - Abstract

SP - 20

T2 - XI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

Y2 - 3 November 2025 through 4 November 2025

ER -