The case

Fentanyl: 80 vials have gone missing from Rome’s Israelitico Hospital; emergency meeting at Palazzo Chigi

The quantity stolen is enough to produce up to 20,000 doses. Reports from the Government suggest there is “serious concern”.

by Pietro Menzani

3 July 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Eighty vials of fentanyl have been stolen from the pharmacy at the Israelitico Hospital in Rome – a quantity sufficient to produce up to around 20,000 doses intended for illicit use. The incident has caused great alarm within the Government, which has called an emergency meeting. Indeed, Palazzo Chigi has expressed deep concern over “the irresponsible behaviour of those tasked with ensuring the security of these substances, despite the existence of strict rules governing access to and the safekeeping of them”.

Emergency meeting

The meeting, which took place in the early afternoon today, was chaired by Alfredo Mantovano, Under-Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office, and was attended, among others, the Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Health, the Director of the Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Services, the Director-General of the Lazio Region’s Health Directorate, and senior officials from the Department for Policies against Addiction at the Prime Minister’s Office.

According to what has emerged so far, the meeting reaffirmed ‘the need to ensure compliance with the procedures laid down for the management of high-risk medicines’ with the aim of ‘safeguarding public health and preventing similar incidents from recurring’.

Meanwhile, the NAS unit of the Carabinieri has also been called in to carry out the necessary investigations, whilst the Ministry of Health has ordered an inspection to determine any liability and verify compliance with current protocols.

Monitoring

In the coming days, the monitoring group overseeing the implementation of the Anti-Fentanyl Plan – the strategy adopted by the Government to prevent the spread of the powerful opioid – will reconvene at Palazzo Chigi, “with the aim of ensuring that all stakeholders apply the necessary precautions and controls”.

Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office launches investigation

Prosecutors in Rome have launched an investigation into the theft of eighty vials of fentanyl stored in the Israelitico Hospital’s secure medicine vault. An initial report on the incident has been forwarded to Piazzale Clodio. The investigation has been entrusted to the Carabinieri’s NAS unit. The case is being pursued on charges of theft and possession with intent to supply narcotics.

Hospital on the fentanyl theft: ‘We are the aggrieved party; internal investigations are underway’

“We promptly initiated all the procedures required by current legislation. As soon as the absence of the pharmaceutical product was confirmed, the hospital filed a criminal complaint against persons unknown with the relevant authorities, whilst simultaneously launching the necessary internal investigations to establish the facts of the incident and cooperating with the investigating authorities from the outset. The Israelitico Hospital considers itself an aggrieved party in this matter and confirms its full willingness to provide any information that may help identify those responsible.” This is the statement from the management of the Israelitico Hospital in Rome regarding the theft of fentanyl.

The Ministry of Health’s circular

This evening, it was decided to further tighten controls on medicines containing fentanyl. This is set out in a circular issued by the Ministry of Health, which states that ‘medicines containing narcotic and psychotropic active substances must be kept in a locked cupboard, separate from other substances’; this “constitutes a safety measure to prevent the risk of abuse and the illegal distribution of such substances”. Furthermore, it is emphasised that “it would be advisable for the person solely responsible for monitoring stocks and storage to be the same person who holds the keys”.