nitazene

plural nitazenes

1. uncountablechemistryA synthetic opioid derived from 2-benzylbenzimidazole.
2. countablechemistryAny of a group of potent synthetic opioids with a structure related to nitazene, never approved for clinical use but manufactured as illicit drugs or adulterants thereof.

   Several 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids (also referred to as “nitazenes”) recently emerged on the illicit market. […] MOR activity determination confirmed that nitazenes are generally highly active, with potencies and efficacies of several analogues exceeding that of fentanyl.

   2021, Marthe M. Vandeputte, Katleen Van Uytfanghe, et al., “Synthesis, Chemical Characterization, and μ‑Opioid Receptor Activity Assessment of the Emerging Group of “Nitazene” 2‑Benzylbenzimidazole Synthetic Opioids”, in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, volume 12, number 7, →DOI, page 1241