In most cases xylazine is mixed with strong opioids such as heroin or fentanyl, but it has also been detected in fake prescription tablets, THC vapes and cocaine (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A powerful flesh-eating ‘zombie’ drug sweeping the US has infiltrated Britain’s illegal drug market, experts have warned.
Xylazine, also known as ‘tranq dope’, had already been linked to one death in the UK but researchers have now identified 10 more linked to the substance.
In most cases the drug is mixed with strong opioids such as heroin or fentanyl, but it has also been detected in fake prescription tablets, THC vapes and cocaine.
The drug can cause a dangerously low heartrate and compromise users’ airways, and may also cause large open skin ulcers which can rot and lead to limb amputation.
Dr Caroline Copeland, senior author of a new study published in the journal Addiction, said: ‘We now know that xylazine has penetrated the UK’s illicit drug market.
‘This is cause for alarm as a much wider population of people who use drugs beyond heroin users will be exposed to its harms.
‘We also know that most people who buy heroin will not intend to buy xylazine and this combination increases the risk of overdose.
‘Xylazine was designated an “emerging threat” to the United States and this public health threat is a growing concern for the UK.’
Xylazine, also known as ‘tranq dope’, had already been linked to one death in the UK but researchers have now identified 10 more linked to the substance (Picture: Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock)
Researchers, led by academics from King’s College London, gathered evidence from toxicology labs across the UK as well as seizures by law enforcement agencies.
Despite the overall numbers being relatively low – two THC vapes and a small amount of pills among tens of thousands – the experts warned the findings are still worrying.
Dr Copeland told BBC News: ‘People may not realise what they are actually buying. They think they are getting a THC vape – but it could contain much more than they expect.
‘It’s really alarming.’
The researchers found 35 cases of xylazine across England, Scotland and Wales by the end of August last year. No cases were found in Northern Ireland.
They published data on 16 biological samples taken from toxicology labs, where the drug was found in 16 people – including 11 people who had died.
Some 11 of these samples were from summer last year.
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Dr Copeland suggested ‘three simple measures the UK can introduce to prevent the epidemic of xylazine use that has emerged in the USA’.
She recommended cheap xylazine test strips be made available, healthcare providers taught to be aware of the signs that chronic skin ulcers are due to xylazine use, and pathologists and coroners should specifically request toxicology testing for xylazine in relevant cases to understand the true prevalence of the drug.
Co-author Dr Adam Holland, the co-chairman of the Faculty of Public Health drugs special interest group at the University of Bristol, said: ‘The emergence of xylazine in the UK drug market, as well as the proliferation of potent synthetic substances including nitazenes and benzodiazepine analogues, is extremely concerning.
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