What are Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS)?
- New narcotic or psychotropic drugs in a pure or modified form, which have emerged over recent months
- Often more potent than their previous analogs
- Can be a threat to public health and safety
Challenges in NPS identification and testing
Rapid emergence and a sharp decline in use after achieving a scheduled status by the DEA
Sporadic occurrence and region-specific prevalence
Limited time for developing tests that can identify subtle changes in the structure of newly modified NPS analogs
Frequently not included in standard drug testing panels with limited scope
How does NMS Labs stay up to date with emerging NPS?
Works in partnership with CFSRE and international collaborators to identify NPS that need additional focus before being added to the NMS TotalTox panel
Initial trend reports of NPS identified in the United States through the analysis of seized drug materials and/or biological samples, and additional sources which help us compile information for:
• New substances in submitted cases
• Latest emerging drugs to help support public health and public safety
Our forensic toxicologists and the NPS Discovery partners at CFSRE are highly trained and conduct ongoing surveillance of drug markets and patterns that:
- Are thorough and rigorous to ensure the highest accuracy in identifying new compounds
- Are curated to keep pace with the dynamically changing drug trends to identify which drugs will be added/removed from the NMS TotalTox panel
- Screen cases using a supplemental surveillance data library to identify and track the prevalence of drugs of interest
Why choose NMS TotalTox panel from NMS Labs for NPS identification?
- Adaptable to changing trends in NPS prevalence
- Access to data surveillance network
- Strategic and well-planned test development process
- Tests for NPS compounds known to be emerging in death investigation
- Repeatable, reliable, and consistent