New York Health Department Issues Alert over Presence of Dangerous Veterinary Sedative in Drug Samples

On June 21, the New York State Health Department (DOH) issued a public health alert regarding the discovery of a powerful synthetic veterinary sedative in drug samples in Central New York and the Capital Region. The DOH confirmed the presence of medetomidine in two samples collected by their partners at ACR Health in Syracuse and Catholic Charities in Schenectady. One sample was collected in Schenectady on May 24 and also contained fentanyl, while the other was gathered in Syracuse on June 5 and may be linked to two nonfatal overdoses.

In response to this new threat, Dr. James McDonald, DOH Commissioner, emphasized the extreme danger of medetomidine when combined with other substances. He stated that it impacts the central nervous system and is more potent than xylazine, which is also known as “tranq.” The Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) issued a public health advisory on May 31, warning that medetomidine poses a new threat to the American drug supply. They highlighted “mass overdose outbreaks” in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Pittsburgh that were linked to medetomidine and could not be reversed with naloxone.

The effects of medetomidine are more pronounced when mixed with opioids, resulting in slowed breathing, slowed heart rate, high or low blood pressure, poor blood circulation, and heart failure. The drug was initially observed in the U.S. in Maryland late 2022 and has since spread to states like Missouri, Colorado, Pennsylvania, California in 2023. Outside of Syracuse and Schenectady, community drug-checking programs use spectroscopy machines and test strips to identify residual substances in drugs such as Albany, Hauppauge Ithaca Johnson City Plattsburgh Utica Watertown.[ ]