Zombie drug: Alarming rise in deaths linked to Tranq makes White House act - but has it reached the UK?

The Biden Administration in the US has announced plans to reduce the number of overdoses related to the "zombie drug" Tranq by 15% in the next two years. 

The plans involve gathering data on preventing the drug, cutting off supply routes, as well as ensuring veterinary clinics' supplies of animal tranquillizers remain unaffected. 

The drug, known as xylazine is mixed with fentanyl to create a deadly cocktail. 

American political consultant and White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden said: “Our goal is to get fentanyl combined with xylazine off our streets and out of our communities”.

“The proportion of xylazine-involved deaths is continuously growing and is a great concern.”

According to the CDC, the drug has been involved with 4,859 overdose deaths nationally between January 2021 and June 2022, and nearly 11% of fentanyl overdose deaths were tied to tranq in June 2022, an alarming increase from just 3% in 2019. 

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy designated fentanyl adulterated with xylazine as an “emerging threat". 

The White House has released a six point plan to tackle the use of Tranq on US streets. Tanden said the plan aims to: "Aggressively expand access to prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery support for those with substance use disorders. And [take] bold actions to disrupt the supply of illicit drugs, especially fentanyl that is harming communities all across the country."

Dr Raul Gupta, the White House director of national drug control policy, said: "This administration recognises the grave threat that fentanyl combined with xylazine presents to our nation.

"We know that xylazine is coming from online vendors overseas, including those in China, and it’s mixed into drugs in the United States. 

"We're calling on Congress to fully fund President Biden's historic $46.1bn (£35.7bn) budget request for national drug control programs, including key funding to address illicit fentanyl and emerging threats like xylazine."

The plan would likely be funded by the proposed $46.1 billion National Drug Control program highlighted by Biden in March, which is still pending approval from Congress. It could be reclassified under the Controlled Substances Act.

What is Tranq? 

Tranq is a mixture of the synthetic opioid fentanyl and the animal tranquillizer xylazine.

The xylazine produces skin wounds, lesions and ulcers that can become easily affected, and cause the skin in that area to die and rot. This condition is known as necrosis and requires amputation or surgery to remove the rotting tissue. 

The drug can also cause people to stagger, hyperventilate, have disorientation and constricted pupils, as well as reduce the heart rate to a dangerously low level. Due to the symptoms seen in users, it has been dubbed the "zombie drug". 

Is tranq in the UK?

In May 2023, the death of a 43-year-old man saw the first death believed to be linked to tranq.

Karl Warburton, from Solihull, West Midlands, died in May 2022 at home and had a history of illicit drug use, according to the coroner's report. He had been referred to addiction services on a number of occasions.

An examination of his body showed heroin, fentanyl and cocaine, as well as xylazine, in his system.

A report on his death in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine says he was "likely to have bought heroin and not known it was laced with xylazine and fentanyl".

"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first death associated with xylazine use reported in the UK, and even Europe, and indicates the entry of xylazine into the UK drug supply," it adds.

Lead author, Kirsten Rock from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science said: “This is the first evidence of the drug outside North America. The Birmingham toxicology lab that performed the drug screen noticed a strange peak in the test results that they were able to identify as xylazine. Indeed, it is only down to the vigilance of the toxicologist to notice and report on this strange peak that this was noticed at all.”