A leading forensic toxicology company based in Nashville said on Monday that it has now identified samples of a new synthetic opioid, cychlorphine, in 18 states, only weeks after the Knox County Regional Medical Center said it is associated with around deaths in East Tennessee.
Since July 7, 2025, Aegis Sciences Corporation said it has detected cychlorphine in Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
The company said it has received tests from every state except North Dakota, New Mexico, and Hawaii.
The update comes only weeks after Chris Thomas, the chief administrative officer for the Knox County Regional Forensic Center, told Medical Daily on September 10 that cychlorphine is associated with 63 deaths in East Tennessee, with the drug determined to be the cause of death in 58 cases.
Researchers also published findings in July showing that wastewater from Tennessee treatment plants along Interstate 75 tested positive for cychlorphine. Researchers noted wastewater from rest stops was included in their tests, meaning it is unclear what portion of the concentration is left by residents versus travelers.
Since the drug was first reported in the United States last October, the FDA has classified it as a Schedule 1 drug on an emergency basis, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy issued a federal drug threat notice in April, when it said there had been at least 55 deaths related to the drug nationwide.
The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime said in May that cyclorphine began to appear more frequently beginning in 2024, and detections increased after China imposed new restrictions on another class of opioids last year.
Officials with the Knox County Regional Forensic Center previously said the drug originated in China in 2024.
Earlier this year, a man was sentenced to eight years in prison after he was convicted under Tennessee’s “death by distribution” law, which makes it a crime to illegally deliver or dispense certain synthetic opioids.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
