CRIM 412 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Moscow Theater Hostage Crisis, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Carfentanil
31 Jan 2020
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Document Summary
Fentanyl is an opioid analgesic, first synthesized by janssen pharmaceutica (belgium) in the late 1950s, with an analgesic potency of about 80 times that of morphine. Fentanyl was introduced into medical practice in the 1960s as an intravenous anesthetic under the trade name of sublimaze. It has a quantitative potency approximately 10,000 times that of morphine and 100 times that of fentanyl, activity in humans starting at about 1 g. It is marketed under the trade name wildnil as a tranquilizer for large animals. [1] carfentanil is intended for animal use only as its extreme potency makes it inappropriate for use in humans. It is thought that in the 2002 moscow theater hostage crisis, the russian military made use of an aerosol form of carfentanil to subdue chechen hostage takers. [2] its short action, easy reversibility and therapeutic index (10600 vs. 300 for fentanyl) would make it a near-perfect agent for this purpose.
