A powerful “zombie” drug strong enough to tranquilise an elephant has become widespread in Britain’s illicit drugs market, according to new research.
Britain’s first linked fatality to the drug, xylazine, was discovered last year but researchers have now identified ten more fatalities that could be linked to the substance, which is also known as “tranq dope”.
The drug, found in samples from 16 people, can cause a dangerously low heart rate. If injected into the bloodstream, it may also cause large open skin ulcers to form, which can start to rot and lead to amputation — leading to it being dubbed a “flesh-eating zombie drug”.
The team of researchers from the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths (NPSAD) at King’s College London said the drug, already a concern in the US, was a “public health threat” for the UK.
Dr Caroline Copeland, senior author of the study, 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.
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“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.”
Copeland recommended that the UK should make cheap xylazine test strips available, teach healthcare providers about the signs of chronic skin ulcers due to its use, and pathologists request testing for xylazine to understand its prevalence.
In total, the study found 35 cases of xylazine USE across England, Scotland and Wales by the end of August last year.
The researchers contacted all toxicology laboratories in the UK to collate evidence of xylazine detection in biological samples and found the drug present in 16 people, 11 of whom died.
The study, published in the journal Addiction, found that in most cases the drug was mixed with strong opioids such as heroin or fentanyl. Xylazine was also detected in the absence of strong opioids alongside stimulant drugs, such as cocaine, and found in items sold as counterfeit codeine and diazepam tablets, and even in THC vapes.
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The Times last year revealed xylazine’s first fatality as Karl Warburton, 43, who died in May 2022 after taking a “cocktail” of drugs containing it. He was not thought to be a regular user, as his body was found to be physically fit at the post-mortem examination.
Researchers warned the drug was “probably more widespread than these findings indicate”, in part “due to limitations in toxicology screening protocols” because the drug is not regularly tested for.
Xylazine is just one of an emerging breed of synthetic drugs causing concern in the US and UK. Nitazines, a synthetic opioid, is thought to be ten times stronger than fentanyl and drugs like it have already been linked to at least 54 deaths in the UK, according to BBC News.
A co-author of the study, Dr Adam Holland, 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.
“As levels of … drug-related deaths mount, 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 for people who use drugs, including drug checking and overdose prevention centres, to give them the opportunities they need to stay safe.”
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Professor Sir John Strang, the head of addictions at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study, said: “We need to be constantly alert to changes in the nature of the illicit drug market, especially as these changes sometimes bring new health complications or challenges.
“This [study] has required integration of data from different sources (from case reports, from national data-sets and from forensic toxicology) and collaboration across different disciplines and different universities alongside data collection organisations or law enforcement.”
