Misuse of opioids and new psychoactive substances (NPS) are a clear and present health danger in Europe, due to the severe acute toxicities and adverse effects many of them present.
New opiod analogs emerge on the illicit market without any or limited knowledge of their pharmacology and safety. With high potency, efficacy and completely unknown toxicity profiles these drugs bear a high risk of severe intoxications and drug-related deaths.
There is therefore a great need to establish ways to assess the toxicity and pharmacology of NPS for a correct risk assessment and evaluation of these new drugs.
