{"id":81017,"date":"2025-05-07T05:14:21","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T05:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/81017\/"},"modified":"2025-05-07T05:14:21","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T05:14:21","slug":"medetomidine-emerges-as-a-new-threat-in-us-illegal-drug-supply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/81017\/","title":{"rendered":"Medetomidine emerges as a new threat in US illegal drug supply"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBy MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

CDC: Animal sedative medetomidine showing up in US illegal drug supply<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"AP<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tUpdated: 8:46 PM EDT May 2, 2025\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t11 NEWS AT FIVE CONTINUES. WHEN SOMEONE TESTS POSITIVE FOR FENTANYL, YOU\u2019LL ALMOST ALWAYS FIND ANOTHER DRUG. AND IN MARYLAND AND MANY OTHER STATES, WHAT YOU FIND IS COCAINE. THIS JUST ONE REVELATION FROM A UNIQUE RESEARCH PROGRAM TRACKING DRUG USE IN MARYLAND. TONIGHT WE CONTINUE OUR 11 NEWS INVESTIGATES SERIES, CHRONIC PAIN MARYLAND\u2019S OPIOID CRISIS. AND RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND HAVE BEEN UNCOVERING CRUCIAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DRUGS ON MARYLAND\u2019S STREETS. INFORMATION THAT CAN HELP DOCTORS SAVE LIVES. REPORTER MINDY BASARA JOINS US AT THE 11 NEWS LIVE DESK WITH MORE ON THIS UNIQUE PROGRAM. MINDY. REPORTER. IT\u2019S IMPORTANT FOR MEDICAL PROVIDERS AND POLICYMAKERS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE DRUG TRADE IN MARYLAND. WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE SUBSTANCES PEOPLE ARE INGESTING? A GROUP OF SCIENTISTS IN COLLEGE PARK FIGURED OUT HOW TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. THE RESULTS NOT SO SIMPLE. WE\u2019RE SURRENDERING INTO A NEW, NEW WAY OF LIFE. WHAT IS THAT NEW WAY OF LIFE? JOE DUNCAN REMEMBERS THE MOMENT WELL. I WAS 15 YEARS OLD WHEN I FIRST PUT A NEEDLE IN MY ARM ON CHRISTMAS DAY, 1978. BY AGE 18, HE WAS ADDICTED. AND IN PRISON. THIS IS JOE. THE NIGHT HE GOT OUT. HE HAD BEEN LOCKED UP FOR 40 YEARS AND NINE MONTHS. I WAS ACTUALLY CLEAN FOR FOUR YEARS IN PRISON AND WHEN I GOT OUT THE FIRST NIGHT, I STARTED DRINKING AND SMOKING WEED AND IT JUST ESCALATED. HE TURNED TO HARDER STREET DRUGS AND REALIZED THE DRUG SCENE HAD CHANGED. DID THAT SCARE YOU AT ALL? YEAH, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WERE DYING AROUND ME. WHEN A PERSON PURCHASES AN ILLEGAL DRUG ON THE STREET, THEY\u2019RE PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE. THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY\u2019RE TAKING. DOCTOR ERIC WYCHE HAS BEEN A DRUG USE RESEARCHER HERE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK, FOR 32 YEARS. AND RIGHT NOW I\u2019M RUNNING THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT DRUG SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM, WHICH IS A UNIQUE PROGRAM. HI, EVERYBODY. HEY, AARON. ARTEGIANI AND AMY BILLING ARE MEMBERS OF THE TEAM. THE PROGRAM, KNOWN BY THE ACRONYM EDZ, IDENTIFIES CURRENT DRUG USE TRENDS IN MARYLAND, NOT BY RELYING ON WHAT THE DRUG USERS TELL PEOPLE THEY INGESTED, BUT BY TESTING THEIR URINE SAMPLES. FOR SOME REASON, I WAS DRAWN TO URINE TESTING BECAUSE IT\u2019S SUBJECTIVE AND OFTENTIMES WHEN YOU ASK PEOPLE ABOUT DRUGS, IT\u2019S NOT SO CLEAR WHAT THEY TOOK. HERE\u2019S HOW IT WORKS. WHEN SOMEONE IS EXPERIENCING AN OVERDOSE, THEY GO TO THE ER AND THEY GIVE A URINE SAMPLE. THE HOSPITAL IS ABLE TO CHECK FOR 10 OR 12 DIFFERENT DRUGS, BUT EDS IS ABLE TO FURTHER ANALYZE THAT DATA. BUT THAT\u2019S JUST PART OF THE PROJECT. HOSPITALS ALSO SEND THEIR URINE SAMPLES TO EDS FOR RETESTING BECAUSE EDS CAN CHECK FOR UP TO 500 DIFFERENT DRUGS TO BE ABLE TO LEARN ABOUT A MUCH BROADER PANEL OF DRUGS AND WHAT THEY\u2019RE WHAT THEIR PATIENTS ARE USING OR MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO. IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM THAT THEY MAY NOT OFTEN GET. SO WE\u2019RE ABLE TO TELL THE HOSPITALS WHAT THEY\u2019RE MISSING. ONE THING THEY WERE MISSING FENTANYL. THE DRUG SCREEN THEY WERE USING DIDN\u2019T PICK UP FENTANYL. WE SHOWED THEM THAT. AND THEN BECAUSE OF OUR RESEARCH STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND THE STATE OF MARYLAND PASSED LEGISLATION REQUIRING THAT PEOPLE COMING IN FOR OVERDOSE DOSES COMING INTO THE ED WHO ARE TESTED FOR DRUGS HAVE TO TEST FOR FENTANYL. WHEN EDS TESTED FOR FENTANYL, LOOK AT THE RESULTS. ALL 13 OF THESE HOSPITALS PARTICIPATING IN THE PROJECT FROM EVERY PART OF MARYLAND HAD OVERDOSE PATIENTS TESTING POSITIVE FOR FENTANYL. THE HOSPITALS WITH THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF FENTANYL POSITIVE CASES. UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MIDTOWN BALTIMORE, AT 81%, AND MERITUS MEDICAL CENTER IN HAGERSTOWN, 78%. AND EDS DISCOVERED THIS, TOO, WHEN SOMEONE TESTS POSITIVE FOR FENTANYL, YOU\u2019LL ALMOST ALWAYS FIND ANOTHER DRUG. AND IN MARYLAND AND MANY OTHER STATES, WHAT YOU FIND IS COCAINE. AND THAT\u2019S NOT ALL. EDS RESEARCH ALSO REVEALED THE PREVALENCE OF XYLAZINE, A HORSE TRANQUILIZER. ALL 13 HOSPITALS HAD PATIENTS TESTING POSITIVE FOR THAT DRUG AS WELL. AND THE URINE SAMPLES CONTAINING XYLAZINE USUALLY CONTAINED THESE OTHER DRUGS, 77% CONTAINED FENTANYL, 77% CONTAINED COCAINE, 67% CONTAINED MORPHINE, 11% CONTAINED AMPHETAMINE, 44% OF THE XYLAZINE POSITIVE SAMPLES CONTAINED THREE, IF NOT ALL FOUR, OF THESE OTHER DRUGS. HOW VALUABLE IS THAT SCIENCE DATA? WELL, IT\u2019S REALLY CRUCIAL IN ORDER TO TO TARGET WHAT YOU\u2019RE WHAT YOU\u2019RE DOING AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU\u2019RE REACHING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AND AND CONNECTING THEM TO THE SERVICES THEY NEED. YOU HAVE TO FIRST KNOW WHAT THEY\u2019RE ACTUALLY BEING EXPOSED TO. UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL CENTER DOCTOR ED TRAVER IS A PHYSICIAN ADVISOR FOR THE PROJECT. IT\u2019S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE HOSPITAL AND IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM, TO HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT THEIR PATIENTS ARE EXPOSED TO AND WHAT THEY\u2019RE COMING IN WITH. WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE EXPOSED TO LOTS OF DIFFERENT DRUGS. SOMETIMES WHEN THEY\u2019RE NOT EVEN INTENDING TO BE. AND SO THIS IS A VALUABLE DATA SET TO KNOW WHAT\u2019S ACTUALLY IN PEOPLE\u2019S SYSTEMS. WHAT IS EDS WORKING ON NEXT? NOTHING. THE PROJECT ENDED. WE APPLIED FOR REFUNDING TO THE SAME AGENCY THAT HAD BEEN FUNDING US, AND IT WAS NOT FUNDED. NO STATE FUNDING MEANS NO MORE EDS, NO MORE URINE DRUG TESTING. WAS THAT A SURPRISE TO YOU? I THINK THE STATE HAS A LOT OF PRIORITIES IN TERMS OF COMBATING THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC, AND THIS EDS PROJECT WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT PROJECT TO PROVIDE SOME NEW INSIGHT INTO DRUG USE TRENDS. WE REACHED OUT TO MARYLAND\u2019S OFFICE OF OVERDOSE RESPONSE FOR A REASON WHY EDS DID NOT RECEIVE STATE FUNDING. THE AGENCY EXPLAINED IN PART, PROJECTS WITH A PRIMARY FOCUS ON RESEARCH WERE NOT PRIORITIZED FOR FUNDING, AND RESEARCH WAS NOT LISTED AS AN ALLOWABLE COST. THERE ARE OTHER PROGRAMS IN MARYLAND IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY WHERE THEY SAY THEY\u2019RE FOLLOWING WHAT\u2019S GOING ON WITH THE DRUGS, BUT NO ONE IS RELYING ON THE URINE TESTS LIKE WE DO. SO YOU SURRENDER. AS FOR JOE DUNCAN, HE HAS BEEN IN RECOVERY FOR OVER A YEAR, HOPES HE CAN REACH OTHER ADDICTS BEFORE IT\u2019S TOO LATE. I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE IF I CAN DO IT. I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT. DRUGS IS DESTROYING THIS COUNTRY. IT\u2019S DESTROYING LIVES. BEFORE THE EDS PROGRAM CAME TO A HALT, RESEARCHERS WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY A NEW DRUG EMERGING A VETERINARY SEDATIVE CALLED MEDETOMIDINE. IT\u2019S SIMILAR TO XYLAZINE, BUT EVEN MORE POWERFUL AND THEREFORE MORE DANGEROUS. THE SCIENTISTS DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO FLESH OUT JUST HOW PREVALENT IT IS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THE COMPELLING INTERVIEW WITH RECOVERING ADDICT JOE DUNCAN, THE ENTIRE CANDID CONVERSATION IS ON OUR WEBSITE FOR 11 NEWS INVESTIGATES. I\u2019M MINDY BECERRA. MINDY. THANK YOU. FOLLOW THIS WEEK SPECIAL SERIES ON THE OPIOID CRISIS HERE IN MARYLAND. RIGHT NOW IN THE WBAL TV APP, OUR INFOGRAPHIC EXPLAINS HOW YOU COULD HELP SAV\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe animal sedative medetomidine is increasingly showing up in the U.S. illegal drug supply, according to three reports released Thursday.Medetomidine, which is used to sedate pets and is somewhat similar to xylazine, was first detected in illegally manufactured opioids in North America in 2022. Investigators say the drug is being mixed in with other illicit drugs, mainly fentanyl, the synthetic opioid behind most overdose deaths.On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published three reports about recent clusters of medetomidine cases in Chicago, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.In Chicago, health officials last May were puzzled by a surge in overdoses. The patients had taken fentanyl, but the overdose-reversing drug naloxone didn’t seem to work. After an investigation, the city’s health department reported 12 confirmed cases of medetomidine-involved overdose \u2014 the largest to date \u2014 as well as more than 160 probable or suspected cases including a possible death.The two other reports focused on medetomidine withdrawal in patients in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.In Philadelphia, medetomidine was detected in 72% of illegal opioid samples tested late last year, overtaking xylazine, which has complicated the U.S. response to the opioid crisis.More than 160 people were hospitalized for an unusual version of fentanyl withdrawal that was resistant to medications that helped against fentanyl and xylazine. However, another drug \u2014 dexmedetomidine \u2014 did work, health officials said.Pittsburgh reported 10 similar cases during a similar time period.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tWASHINGTON \u2014<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The animal sedative medetomidine is increasingly showing up in the U.S. illegal drug supply, according to three reports released Thursday.<\/p>\n

Medetomidine, which is used to sedate pets and is somewhat similar to xylazine, was first detected in illegally manufactured opioids in North America in 2022. Investigators say the drug is being mixed in with other illicit drugs, mainly fentanyl, the synthetic opioid behind most overdose deaths.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published<\/a> three reports about recent clusters of medetomidine cases in Chicago, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

In Chicago, health officials last May were puzzled by a surge in overdoses. The patients had taken fentanyl, but the overdose-reversing drug naloxone didn’t seem to work. After an investigation, the city’s health department reported 12 confirmed cases of medetomidine-involved overdose \u2014 the largest to date \u2014 as well as more than 160 probable or suspected cases including a possible death.<\/p>\n

The two other reports focused on medetomidine withdrawal in patients in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

In Philadelphia, medetomidine was detected in 72% of illegal opioid samples tested late last year, overtaking xylazine, which has complicated the U.S. response to the opioid crisis.<\/p>\n

More than 160 people were hospitalized for an unusual version of fentanyl withdrawal that was resistant to medications that helped against fentanyl and xylazine. However, another drug \u2014 dexmedetomidine \u2014 did work, health officials said.<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh reported 10 similar cases during a similar time period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer CDC: Animal sedative medetomidine showing up in US illegal drug supply Updated:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":81018,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4315],"tags":[39360,25044,39339,2306,39340,39344,6579,39345,39346,4428,39347,105,39361,39348,39349,39350,39351,4326,39352,23215,39353,4429,39354,39355,28746,18766,39341,33960,39342,2963,39358,39356,39362,39343,16,15,39359,39357],"class_list":{"0":"post-81017","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-animal-sedative-medetomidine","9":"tag-case","10":"tag-cdc-reports","11":"tag-chicago","12":"tag-chicago-overdoses","13":"tag-dexmedetomidine","14":"tag-drug","15":"tag-drug-contamination","16":"tag-drug-safety","17":"tag-fentanyl","18":"tag-fentanyl-crisis","19":"tag-health","20":"tag-health-official-last-may","21":"tag-illegal-drug-supply","22":"tag-illegal-opioids","23":"tag-medetomidine","24":"tag-medetomidine-withdrawal","25":"tag-medication","26":"tag-naloxone-resistance","27":"tag-opioid-epidemic","28":"tag-opioid-withdrawal","29":"tag-overdose","30":"tag-overdose-deaths","31":"tag-overdose-prevention","32":"tag-patient","33":"tag-philadelphia","34":"tag-philadelphia-drug-cases","35":"tag-pittsburgh","36":"tag-pittsburgh-drug-cases","37":"tag-report","38":"tag-shnd","39":"tag-synthetic-opioids","40":"tag-thursday","41":"tag-u-s-drug-crisis","42":"tag-uk","43":"tag-united-kingdom","44":"tag-us-illegal-drug-supply","45":"tag-xylazine"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}