91ɫ��Ƭ

Drug Trends has identified, crawled (or ‘scraped’), extracted, categorised and analysed drug listings on cryptomarkets on a regular basis since 1st February 2014. This bulletin reports on trends in the availability of orphine analogues for purchase in Australia and internationally via cryptomarkets. The current bulletin focuses on analysis of listings on cryptomarkets from June 2021 to January 2026.

Key findings

• Orphine analogues (“orphines”) are a class of highly potent synthetic opioids that was first synthesised and investigated in the 1960s for their potential analgesic effects but never approved for medical use due to safety concerns.
• A total of 788 listings selling orphines were identified from 19 of the 42 cryptomarkets in the period from June 2021 to January 2026. They comprised <0.01% of the total drug listings in this period.
• The most frequently identified orphines were SR17018 (48%), spirochlorphine (26%) and cychlorphine (23%).
• More than half of the orphine listings (59% of SR17018 and 66% of other orphines) were offered as available for delivery to Australia. Availability to Australia was primarily via listings offering worldwide shipping.
• Only a couple of brorphine listings were identified in cryptomarket listings before late 2023, followed by a modest increase in other orphine analogues in 2024.
• From the middle of 2025 onwards, the proportion and number of SR17018 increased as the number and proportion of listings of other orphine analogues decreased. Other orphine analogues such as spirobrorphine and SR14968 also emerged in 2025.

Discussion

Overall, orphines were identified on cryptomarkets across the study period but remained rare, accounting for a very small proportion of all drug listings (peaking at 0.07%). Availability to Australia was primarily via listings offering worldwide shipping, with no evidence of Australia-specific supply. The market was primarily characterised by SR17018, spirochlorphine, and cychlorphine.

While absolute numbers remained low, temporal fluctuations suggest a small, dynamic and emerging market. Notably, there were shifts in the relative prominence of specific analogues of orphine, including a transition from spirochlorphine and cychlorphine toward SR17018 from the middle of 2025 onwards, as well as the emergence of other orphine analogues such as spirobrorphine, etodezitramide and SR14968 though their numbers remained low. This aligns with other reports and also coincides with indications of declines in nitazene cryptomarket listings, although this requires further investigation.

Several limitations should be noted. Cryptomarket listings are a proxy for availability rather than confirmed sales, and observed trends may be affected by the market volatility, including platform closures. The listed drug that was being advertised also might not be the actual drug being sold. Our study was limited to English-language markets, excluding potentially relevant platforms (e.g., Russian-language markets) that may be relevant to Australia.

Despite these considerations, the findings provide useful insight into the emergence and evolving nature of orphines in online drug markets. From an Australian perspective, current availability appears limited. However, the presence of multiple analogues, shifts in supply, and capacity for rapid change highlight the potential for expansion. Ongoing monitoring is warranted, alongside strengthening detection capabilities, including within drug checking services, to support early identification of emerging substances and inform timely harm reduction responses.

Read the full bulletin

Recommended citation

Man N, Sutherland R, Bruno R, Barratt MJ, Peacock A. Availability of orphine analogues for purchase in Australia and internationally via cryptomarkets, June 2021 – January 2026. Drug Trends Bulletin Series. Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, 91ɫ��Ƭ Sydney; 2026. Available from:

Funding and copyright

Drug Trends is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing under the Drug and Alcohol Program.

©NDARC, 91ɫ��Ƭ SYDNEY 2026 

This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. All other rights are reserved. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the information manager, NDARC, 91ɫ��Ƭ Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia via drugtrends@unsw.edu.au.

Download this resource

• Cryptomarkets 2026 orphines

Contact