By Bryn Levy

Pills linked to two Saskatoon deaths match national warnings

Sep 24, 2014 | 7:40 AM

A pair of Saskatoon deaths may be part of a national problem.

Saskatoon police reported Monday they're investigating the deaths of two men in their 20s. They're believed to have overdosed on what they may have thought were prescription drugs.

While police haven't confirmed what drugs the men may have taken, they did describe the pills as green with the number 80 stamped on one side and the letters C-D-N on the other.

That description matches national warnings from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) issued in 2011, 2013 and in February 2014.

According to the CCSA, the pills have been found in cities across Canada. They've been stamped to look like OxyContin, a commonly abused prescription narcotic. Eighty-nine per cent of the fake pills sent for analysis by the CCSA were found to contain fentanyl. The compound is in the same class of drugs as OxyContin, but carries a significantly higher risk of overdose. Adding to the danger, the pills don't appear to be manufactured using pharmaceutical-grade drugs. Rather, it appears the black market fentanyl is the product of illicit labs.

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“There has been deaths reported across the country with fake Oxy 80's due to fentanyl,” Brenda McCallister, manager of the Saskatoon Health Region's methadone treatment program, said.

McCallister said the region has been aware of the pills for some time, as people seeking methadone treatment for opioid addiction have reported using them. She said they've warned clients to stay away from them.

The CCSA warnings point out that while fentanyl is the most common drug in counterfeit pills, they've also been found to contain a number of other compounds. Those include alprazolam, which is marketed under the brand name Xanax and used to treat anxiety disorders, and ketamine, a drug used as a tranquilizer in cats and horses.

“Because (the counterfeit pills) aren't a pharmaceutical — and people believe that they are — you really don't know what you're getting,” McCallister said.

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