Health Canada acknowledges lack of data about potency, classification of W-18

“It has been noted that, at present, while the only publicly available scientific report compares W-18 and related compounds to opioids, it does not determine whether or not W-18 binds to opioid receptors in the body,” it said.

“The department is aware of ongoing studies to determine the mode of action of W-18 and will continue to assess new information as it becomes available.”

W-18 is a chemical created at the University of Alberta between 1977 and 1979 as part of a drug-design project aimed at creating a compound for pain relief. It was never produced commercially and the series was eventually shelved.

Police and health officials have issued several warnings about the drug, which they say is extremely dangerous.

Canada recently made it illegal to produce, possess, import, export or traffic W-18 after the substance was identified during several drug seizures. In a June 1 news release, Health Canada said W-18 “can be 100 times stronger than fentanyl.”

But the inventor of W-18, Ed Knaus, has pointed out that he and other researchers who developed the drug never compared its potency to fentanyl.

Health Canada said on Tuesday that the only publicly available report on W-18 is the 1984 patent application, which included a study that used mice to test the pain-relieving activity of the compound. The results were compared to several other drugs, including aspirin and morphine.

The research found it takes 10,000 times more morphine than W-18 to produce the same analgesic effect in mice.

Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine. Therefore, if the research results are interpreted to mean W-18 is 10,000 times stronger than morphine, that would make the drug 100 times stronger than fentanyl.

However, Bryan Roth, a pharmacologist at the University of North Carolina, has said the study results don’t necessarily mean W-18 is 10,000 times more dangerous than morphine. He is conducting his own research on W-18.

On Tuesday, Health Canada noted the limitations of the research but said the available data suggests a “potentially severe risk for harm to individuals.”

“In addition, the lack of data … could lead users to rely on self-reported experiences and other information from user web forums, which may be inaccurate.”

Health Canada emphasized that it is not currently known whether overdose-reversing agent naloxone would be effective for someone who had taken W-18.

However, administering naloxone would not hurt the person, and 911 should also be called for emergency medical assistance, it said.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Health Canada acknowledges lack of data about potency, classification of W-18

Our Community