European health authorities are on alert for the appearance of a new drug. A 43-year-old man has become the first in the UK associated with xylacin.
Xylacine is a sedative, analgesic and non-opiate muscle relaxant used in veterinary medicine as a tranquilizer for large animals. When cut with heroin and fentanyl, it is causing widespread problems in the U.S. because it can dangerously reduce breathing and heart rate. It is likely that this person bought heroin without knowing that it was laced with xelacine and fentanyl.