Eighty vials of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid used in hospitals as an analgesic and anesthetic, approximately 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, have been stolen from the pharmacy of the Ospedale Israelitico in Rome, in via Fulda in the Magliana district. According to government sources, the quantity taken could be used to produce up to about 20,000 doses for illicit consumption, although investigators consider the actual number potentially lower.

The theft was reported on June 24 by the head of the hospital pharmacy, who found that the safe containing the narcotics was missing almost all of its contents. The safe showed no signs of forced entry, leading investigators to believe it was opened using the key, which was accessible to multiple authorized employees. The area where the safe is located has no security cameras, a circumstance that complicates the investigation. Only the fentanyl vials were taken, suggesting to investigators that whoever acted was familiar with the facility and knew where to find the drug.

According to some reconstructions reported by investigators, the theft may have occurred in two distinct moments, on June 22 and June 24, with the formal complaint filed only after the second discrepancy was noted. The number of people who had access to the key varies across sources: some indicate about ten employees, others a little over ten, and others still a little more than twenty, including the night guard responsible for the keys during closing hours. Investigators have already heard the pharmacy manager, who provided all documentation regarding staff access and stated she could not explain how the theft occurred, maintaining that all control procedures had been regularly followed. Personnel who entered the pharmacy for cleaning or other tasks between June 22 and 24 will also be heard again.

The Rome Prosecution Office has opened a case, currently against unknown persons, for theft and possession of narcotic substances for the purpose of drug dealing. A first report has been transmitted to Piazzale Clodio. The investigation is being conducted by the Carabinieri of the Roma Trullo station, the Operational Unit Roma Eur, and the NAS.

The news prompted a rapid response from the government. On the afternoon of July 3, the Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council, Alfredo Mantovano, chaired an emergency meeting at Palazzo Chigi, attended by the Chief of Cabinet of the Ministry of Health, the Director of the Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Services, the Director General of Health for the Lazio Region, and officials from the Department for Anti-Addiction Policies of the Presidency of the Council. According to government sources, there is strong concern over what was described as irresponsible behavior by those responsible for ensuring the security of such substances, despite the existence of strict rules for access and custody.

Following the meeting, NAS Carabinieri were activated for investigations, and the Ministry of Health, at the initiative of Minister Orazio Schillaci, ordered an inspection to verify any responsibilities and compliance with existing protocols. The Lazio Region also ordered an extraordinary inspection to verify the management of narcotics within the hospital pharmacy and tasked local health authorities with conducting similar checks in other hospitals in the region. In the coming days, the monitoring table on the implementation of the anti-fentanyl plan will be reconvened at Palazzo Chigi.

The Ministry of Health issued a circular reminding the rules on the storage of drugs containing narcotic and psychotropic substances, specifying that they must be kept in locked cabinets separate from other medicines. The document also recommends that the person responsible for inventory control coincide with the key holder. A decalogue of conduct was prepared for pharmacies, with instructions to verify the authenticity of prescriptions containing fentanyl or similar substances, confirm the identity of patients, and immediately report any suspected forgery, loss, theft, or damage of prescriptions or medicines.

The commissioner extraordinary of the Ospedale Israelitico, Antonio Maria Leozappa, stated that a complaint has been filed, the hospital is an injured party, and internal investigations have been initiated. The health directorate specified that all procedures required by law were promptly activated as soon as the disappearance of the drug was ascertained.

According to Domenico Di Giorgio, an official of the Office for Product Quality and Pharmaceutical Crime Prevention at the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), the 80 stolen vials have significant value on the illicit market and represent a strong attraction for criminal activity. Simona Pichini, director of the National Center for Addictions and Doping at the National Institute of Health (ISS), described the event as serious but circumscribed, noting that it does not change the overall picture of the management and control of opioids for medical use in Italy.

Previous incidents involving fentanyl have been recorded in the Lazio region, including an arrest in Ariccia for possession of fentanyl-based medication and a doctor stopped while leaving his workplace with a backpack full of fentanyl vials.