After US Request, China Bans Four Synthetic Opioids

As part of an ongoing collaboration with the US, China agreed to ban the manufacture of four synthetic opioids, each a variation of fentanyl. China is thought to be a major source of the so-called "designer drugs," which have been implicated in an increasing number of fatal overdoses in the US. The most widely used drug of the four is U-47700, a drug that was found at the house of entertainer Prince following his overdose last year. In March, China banned another four fentanyl alternatives, including carfentanil, a fentnyl-type drug used on large animals such as rhinos.