A 59-year-old powerful narcotic that was never intended for public use is now showing up on US streets, and it’s deadlier than fentanyl.

   Cychlophorine Has Been Found in Several US Cities

The drug is being blamed for the death of a 16-year-old, in San Francisco, and four drug dealers were arrested for running a drug operation. An estimated 20,000 counterfeit pills were seized.  The death was in early April of 2026.

The operation that was broken up after a months-long investigation showed thousands of cychlophorine pills were stamped with other medication logos, and the problem is spreading.

 The Drug Was First Synthesized in 1967

Janssen Pharmaceuticals first developed the drug 59 years ago, as a synthetic opioid likely to be used as pain killer, but it was never marketed or approved for public use.

The drug also showed up in Chicago, Knoxville, Toronto and Montreal Canada, and also overseas in London since it was found in San Francisco.   A total of 19 US cities and 10 counties have confirmed its detection.

The drug was originally created to provide pain relief for such ailments as bone cancer, which is extremely painful.

  How Did it Get to Illegal Manufacturers?

It’s believed illegal drug manufacturers and smugglers used decades-old research data to replicate the drug, aided by modern manufacturing and pill-pressing, and smuggled in by international drug cartels.