University of Houston researchers announce potential breakthrough vaccine for fentanyl

Researchers at the University of Houston are working on a fentanyl vaccine that they say could be lifesaving for some people as the opioid epidemic continues to plague cities and towns across New Hampshire.

Data from American Medical Response shows in October, there were 56 suspected overdoses in Nashua and Manchester, two of the state's largest cities.

“We've never seen a deadlier drug in the United States,” said Jon Delena of DEA New England.

Overdoses are trending upward in New Hampshire and nationwide — and a lot of them are due to synthetic drugs, like fentanyl, according to Delena.

“It's enough to fit in the tip of a pencil," Delena said.

On Monday, the DEA announced 6 out of 10 of the fake pills they're testing in their lab contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. More than a year ago, 4 out of 10 contained that deadly amount.

But researchers at the University of Houston are hoping a new breakthrough could turn things around.