NIGHTMARE

Fentanyl and Heroin Tainted With Drug That Can’t Be Reversed

Naloxone saves thousands of overdose patients every year, but it may not work on a sedative being mixed with other opioids.

Naloxone is used to save thousands of lives every year, but it may not reverse the effects of a sedative that is now tainting fentanyl, heroin, and other opioids. The Food and Drug Administration is warning health-care providers that routine screening may not even detect xylazine, which is used on animals and is not safe for humans. “FDA is aware of increasing reports of serious side effects from individuals exposed to fentanyl, heroin, and other illicit drugs contaminated with xylazine,” the agency said in an alert. “It is not known at this time whether the xylazine used in these scenarios is illicitly produced (unapproved) or diverted from the animal drug supply.”