A deadly flesh-eating drug that sparked a health crisis in the US has infiltrated the UK drug market and killed at least 11 people, research has found.
Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that has been labeled an “emerging threat” by the White House, can cause painful necrotic sores that can lead to amputation and can be fatal in overdose.
In the United States, it is most commonly used in combination with fentanyl to help better recreate the long-lasting high experienced by heroin users.
But since it was first linked to the overdose of 43-year-old Karl Warburton in Solihull, West Midlands, in May 2022, researchers have detected the drug in 16 people and The drug has now arrived in the UK after being linked to 11 deaths. This is the first death outside North America and the first in the UK linked to the use of xylazine.
Worryingly, researchers believe the drug has infiltrated a wider range of illegal substances in the UK, including cocaine, counterfeit codeine and diazepam tablets, and even THC cannabis vapes.
Experts are calling for urgent action to improve testing and expand investment in drug treatment programs to avoid a U.S.-style drug death crisis.
This comes after the Biden administration warned last spring that xylazine-related deaths had increased 11-fold in some areas between 2020 and 2021.
Coupled with the threat of a deadly synthetic opioid called nitrazene, which has killed 100 people in the UK, experts are calling for urgent action to prepare for a growing public health threat.
Dr. Caroline Copeland, senior author of the National Drug Abuse Mortality Project at King’s College London, said the findings were cause for alarm.
“Before the deaths were reported in 2022, there was only one laboratory in the UK testing xylazine. But if you’re not looking for something, you won’t find it,” she told independent.
This powerful sedative – often called a “tranquilizer” or “narcotic” – is linked to an increasing number of drug-related deaths in the United States, and is responsible for 31 percent of heroin or fentanyl overdose deaths in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania a factor. 2019.
Used by veterinarians to sedate large animals, it can reduce heart and respiratory rates to dangerous levels and cause large patches of rotting flesh when injected.
Dr. Copeland warned that some people with chronic skin ulcers caused by medications that restrict blood supply to their limbs, usually the legs, have had to have their limbs amputated.
However, UK laboratories have also detected xylazine in different types of illicit drugs, including cannabis vapes.
She added: “It’s very concerning. The US has declared it an emerging threat, we’re seeing it here too and it’s more widely circulated than the heroin supply.
“Cannabis, the most widely used illicit substance, has been detected in THC e-cigarettes. This could put many people at risk of harm.
“The acute harm of overdose is horrific, but the chronic harm of skin ulcers is an entirely separate chronic public health catastrophe that can occur.”
She called for urgent action to avert a crisis and for better testing to ensure drug users can identify contaminated supplies.
She said: “There are three simple steps the UK can take to prevent the xylazine use epidemic emerging in the US.
“Inexpensive xylazine test strips should be made available, health care providers need to be aware of the signs of chronic skin ulcers resulting from xylazine use, and pathologists and coroners should specifically request toxicology testing of xylazine in relevant cases. , to understand the true prevalence of the disease.”
Research will follow independent It was previously revealed that powerful synthetic opioids called nitrazepam – some of which are 500 times more powerful than morphine – are also flooding the illegal drugs market and have even been found in UK prisons.
Britain’s National Crime Agency believes nitroxide was responsible for 100 deaths in Britain after the Taliban banned opium production in Afghanistan, which restricted traditional heroin supply routes.
However, these drugs pose a significant overdose risk due to their potency and have also been found in contaminated pills that are sold to unsuspecting users as counterfeit prescription drugs like Xanax or Valium.
Dr Adam Holland, of the School of Public Health’s Drugs Special Interest Group, said: “The emergence of xylazine on the UK drug market, and the proliferation of powerful synthetic substances including nitrazepine and benzodiazepine analogues, is extremely worrying .
“As adulteration levels rise and drug-related deaths rise, it becomes even more clear that our punitive drug laws are not reducing harm. We need to expand the range of harm reduction interventions available to people who use drugs , including drug screening and overdose prevention centers, giving them the opportunities they need to stay safe.”
Professor Sir John Strong, head of addictions at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study, said the findings showed how research can help the public respond.
“We need to remain alert to the changing nature of illicit drug markets, particularly as these changes sometimes create new health complications or challenges,” he said.
A government spokesman said: “We are aware of the threat posed by xylazine and are determined to protect people from this and other illegal synthetic drugs.
“We will not hesitate to take action to protect public safety. Following advice from the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), we intend to classify xylazine as a Class C drug, meaning anyone supplying this substance will face up to 14 imprisonment for one year, a fine, or both.”
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