The pills actually contained traces of fentanyl, the synthetic opioid said to be 50 to 100 times more powerful than heroin.
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Investigators now believe Prince may have been unaware he was taking fentanyl before his death, according to The Washington Post.
The pop star died April 21 due to a fentanyl overdose.
Almost two dozen counterfeit pills found in an Aleve bottle in Prince’s home were falsely labeled Watson 385, a source told the Associated Press (AP).
The autopsy report showed the seven-time Grammy award winning musician had died of an accidental fentanyl overdose.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune said: “It seems more and more likely that Prince became a casualty of what is being called a new national crisis of deadly counterfeit pills”.
According to a Drug Enforcement Administration report released in July, counterfeit pills containing fentanyl are now a “trend, not a series of isolated incidents”. More than 700 fentanyl-related overdose deaths were reported to the DEA in late 2013 and 2014. He did not have a prescription for the drug, the source said.
His death has also sparked debate in the USA over how easy it is to get hold of counterfeit pills, with authorities promising to crack down on opioid abuse.
Also in the week before his death, when Prince overdosed while flying back from a performance in Atlanta, doctors found only Percocet in his system.
Authorities are still investigating how Prince obtained the drugs.
He reportedly received two doses of Narcan, an antidote used to reverse suspected opioid overdoses.
The official did not elaborate on those tests.
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Additional autopsy report suggests that Prince had diazepam, hydrocodone acids, and lidocaine in his system according to an official. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
