Fake Pharmaceuticals Laced with Fentanyl Are a Global Health Crisis

KQED's Forum

Counterfeit pharmaceutical pills laced with drugs like fentanyl are a new global crisis according to a recent article in the journal Lancet. The fake prescription pills are often the same color and size as the original, making them virtually indistinguishable. In 2023 the DEA found that 70% of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills contained a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. And while drug overdoses among young people were down last year compared to 2023, the number of young people dying of opioid overdoses is still double what it was before the pandemic. We’ll talk to a parent whose son died of an accidental fentanyl overdose and with addiction experts about the crisis and what can be done to prevent it.

Guests:

Daniel Ciccarone, professor of Family & Community Medicine, UCSF

Ed Ternan, founder, Charlie's Song, a nonprofit focused on fentanyl education and awareness

Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine, Stanford University