Evaluation of nitazene immunoassay test strips for rapid in-situ detection of nitazene and nitazene analogs in illicit drug samples

Caution should be exercised when deploying these nitazene test strips as frontline presumptive tests in both criminal justice and public health contexts due to the observed false negative and false positive results. While the strips successfully detected a majority of nitazene compounds, their inability to identify certain analogs poses a risk of not detecting the presence of these potent opioids in the drug supply. Additionally, the occurrence of false positives, due to the presence of caffeine-a common adulterant in illicit substances-raises concerns about their suitability for use as a harm reduction method.