BEIJING, China – 30 September 2026

On 23 September 2026, China’s Ministry of Public Security, National Health Commission and National Medical Products Administration jointly announced¹ to place orphine analogues under national control using a broad generic definition as follows (unofficial translation):²

“Orphine analogues” refer to substances whose chemical structure, when compared to brorphine (1-{1-[1-(4-bromophenyl)ethyl]piperidin-4-yl}-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one), meets one or more of the conditions (1), (2), and (3); or, when compared to spirobrorphine (8-[1-(4-bromophenyl)ethyl]-1-phenyl-1,3,8-triazaspiro[4.5]decan-4-one), meets one or more of the conditions (4), (5), and (6):

1. Replacing any number of hydrogen atoms in the 1,3-dihydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one group with groups containing no more than five carbon atoms;
2. Replacing the 1-(4-bromophenyl)ethyl group with any group other than hydrogen;
3. Replacing any number of hydrogen atoms in the piperidine ring with groups containing no more than five carbon atoms;
4. Replacing the phenyl group connected to the nitrogen atom with a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic group;
5. Replacing the 1-(4-bromophenyl)ethyl group with any group other than hydrogen;
6. Replacing any number of hydrogen atoms in the 1,3,8-triazaspiro[4.5]decan-4-one group with groups containing no more than five carbon atoms.

The control measures come into effect on 1 October 2026.

Global increases in orphines and their precursors

By February 2026, 10 orphine analogues had been reported to the UNODC Early Warning Advisory on New Psychoactive Substances(EWA). Since then, 6 new analogues have been reported:

• EA-5,6-dichloro desmethylchlorphine
• EP-5,6-dichloro desmethylchlorphine
• 5-Chloro desmethylchlorphine
• 5/6-chloro-1-(1-phenethylpiperidin-4-yl)-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-one (isomer not determined)
• N-Propionitrile 5-chloro desmethylbrorphine
• N-propionitrile brorphine

In addition, a range of potential precursors have been reported to UNODC EWA, with some national control measures in response. For the latest data and access to the full lists of substances, laboratory analytical and pharmacological data, login is required (for registered eligible users).

International legislative responses

A number of countries have already implemented controls targeting orphine analogues. Control measures such as the individual listing of orphine analogues (some of which are temporary) are in place in countries such as Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States.³ Switzerland has introduced generic legislation for orphine analogues⁴ and the United Kingdom recently released draft generic legislation.⁵

Consult the UN Toolkit on Synthetic Drugs for the full range of national legislative approaches for NPS and the UNODC EWA on NPS database of national legal responses for further information.

References

1. Weblink to the announcement of the Ministry of Public Security of China on the national control of orphine analogues (in Chinese)
2. UNODC Early Warning Advisory (EWA) on New Psychoactive Substances database of national legal responses. Generic Legislation for China
3. Scitegrity. Controlled Substances Squared. 22 September 2026
4. UNODC Early Warning Advisory (EWA) on New Psychoactive Substances database of national legal responses. Generic Legislation for Switzerland
5. UNODC Early Warning Advisory (EWA) on New Psychoactive Substances database of national legal responses. Generic Legislation for United Kingdom

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