US health authorities announced Tuesday measures to better control the import of a product used as a tranquilizer in animals, but increasingly found in drugs taken by humans, with devastating consequences.
Xylazine, authorized since 1972 by the American Medicines Agency (FDA) as a sedative and veterinary analgesic, is used to calm animals, for example horses, in order to facilitate their management or against pain.
But in humans, xylazine can slow “
breathing, blood pressure, heart rate
” and reduce “
body temperature to critical levels
,” the FDA warned.
"Zombie Drug"
The height of horror: its consumption can cause “
skin wounds and patches of dead and putrefying skin
”, including elsewhere than at the level of the injection, she added.
These wounds “
can easily become infected and, without treatment, lead to amputation
”.
Xylazine, also nicknamed "
tranq
" or "
zombie drug
", is increasingly found in the United States in combination with other drugs, such as fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine or cocaine.
Consumers are not necessarily aware of its presence in their drug.
It is particularly widespread in the northeast of the country.
According to a study, 26% of fatal overdoses in Pennsylvania in 2020 involved xylazine, and 20% in Maryland, a state neighboring the capital Washington.
Source of increased concern: naloxone, an antidote that can resuscitate a person in the process of overdosing on an opiate, is not effective against the effects of xylazine.
Growing problem
Experts still recommend trying to give naloxone to anyone who overdoses, as the two drugs can be taken together.
It is difficult to tell the difference between an overdose caused by xylazine, or an opiate like fentanyl.
It is a "
growing public health concern
," the FDA said.
The "
import alert
" launched will place deliveries of xylazine "
under increased surveillance by the FDA
", which may seize them in the event of non-compliance with the law.
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The FDA will in particular ensure that the products - either the pharmaceutical ingredients used to manufacture xylazine, or the finished product - are "
properly labeled, unaltered, and for legitimate veterinary use
".
"
This action is part of a larger effort by the agency to address this issue
," FDA chief Robert Califf said in the statement.
The agency says it is working with partners at the local and federal level, and has promised to keep the public informed of the progress of the work being undertaken.