COLUMBUS, Ohio  (WOWO)— A new synthetic opioid called cychlorphine has been detected in Ohio’s illicit drug supply, prompting warnings from researchers who say the substance may be more potent than fentanyl and could be more difficult to reverse during an overdose.

Cychlorphine belongs to a newly emerging group of synthetic opioids known as piperidinylbenzimidazolones, or “orphines.” Researchers say the compounds began appearing in the United States late last year and are raising concerns because of their extreme potency.

Dr. Jon Sprague, a toxicologist and scientific researcher at Bowling Green State University who also conducts drug analysis for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation, tells WOIO cychlorphine was originally developed decades ago but was never approved for medical use because of its strength.

“This one has never been approved because the potency was so high,” Sprague said.

Sprague said researchers are working to quickly alert medical providers and first responders because the drug represents a substance many healthcare professionals may not have encountered before.

“We’re trying to get the information out there as quickly as we could to healthcare professionals to know that you may be dealing with something you’ve never seen before,” Sprague said.

Researchers say orphines may be especially dangerous because they appear to produce a stronger effect on the brain’s reward system than many other opioids.

Sprague compared the effect to a carnival strength test, explaining that fentanyl may approach the maximum effect while cychlorphine appears capable of reaching the highest level with less exposure.

“Fentanyl will go 90% of the way, whereas cychlorphine appears to go all the way with one smack of that plate,” Sprague said.

When asked whether the drug creates a stronger high, Sprague responded, “Correct.”

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has identified orphines in 36 cases across the state since October.

Investigators found two cases involving the substances in Elyria in December and January, and another case was identified in Summit County in February.

Researchers also identified cychlorphine in a Hamilton County overdose case involving a man who believed he had purchased Xanax.

According to Sprague, testing showed the substance contained cychlorphine, fentanyl and xylazine. He said cychlorphine was the most abundant substance found in the sample.

“The cychlorphine was the most abundant thing that he had in that baggie that we analyzed,” Sprague said.

The man survived the overdose, but emergency responders needed to administer multiple doses of naloxone, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.

Sprague said naloxone should still be given whenever an opioid overdose is suspected, but he warned that some cases involving cychlorphine may require multiple doses and may be more difficult to reverse.

Ohio is currently the only state where orphines are specifically listed as controlled substances because of a legal provision known as the pharmacophore rule.

That rule allows substances with a similar chemical structure to fentanyl to be classified as illegal in Ohio, even if the drug has additional chemical modifications.

Sprague compared the chemical structure to a toy figure with interchangeable parts.

“Fentanyl has the potato background. Cychlorphine has the same potato background. They just added more substances to it, so they put a mustache on the potato head,” Sprague said. “And so immediately cychlorphine was a Schedule 1 drug in Ohio because it had the same core backbone as fentanyl.”

Sprague said researchers believe overseas manufacturers began producing orphines after other synthetic opioids, including nitazenes, faced increased restrictions.

Health officials continue to encourage people to seek emergency help during suspected overdoses and emphasize that naloxone should always be administered when opioid exposure is possible, even if additional doses may be required.

Researchers say continued monitoring of the drug supply will be critical as new synthetic opioids continue to emerge.