Fatal drug poisoning (“overdose”) is a growing public health crisis in the United States. According to the United States National Vital Statistics System, 105,007 drug overdose deaths occurred in 2023. Whereas opioids (including prescription opioids, heroin, fentanyl and analogs) were the leading cause of overdose deaths, the pharmacological composition of drugs has evolved into a “polysubstance death” crisis.
Urine drug tests from non-fatal overdose patients can help identify drug use patterns in communities that might inform epidemic prevention and control strategies designed to prevent overdose deaths. However, the existing urine tests are limited to few drugs and are often non-selective and insensitive.
Dr. Kannan’s laboratory in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at the Wadsworth Center has developed and validated a novel analytical method that can simultaneously quantitatively measure 67 drugs including stimulants, opioids, gabapentin, xylazine, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, novel stimulants/hallucinogens, and their metabolites in human urine.
This study published recently (Li et al. 2025, Journal of Chromatography A) is a product of the Overdose to Action in States – Biosurveillance grant, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This method is currently being applied in a pilot study to urine samples collected from non-fatal overdose patients presenting at the emergency department at the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo. More than 1,000 urine samples collected every year from overdose patients are analyzed for this program. The data will be used to understand drug use patterns and trends.