“Krokodil”: The drug that kills

Psychotropic substances use and abuse have become a real global problem. Up to now, heroin is still one of the most abused drugs, however its consumption is in sharp decline in favor of Krokodil, also called “the poor's heroine”. Krokodil originates from codeine that is extracted from antitussive and analgesic drugs, in “improvised” rudimentary laboratories and through artisan synthetic routes. Its low cost and easy procurement have allowed its rapid and dangerous spread. The objective of this paper was to describe the epidemiology, chemistry, synthesis and toxicology of Krokodil.