BY KERRY BREEN
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday that it was taking action to restrict unlawful importing of the veterinary drug xylazine, which has been “increasingly found” in the nation’s illicit drug supply.
The action, an import alert, allows for the detainment of shipments of xylazine and the ingredients used to make it. The alert “aims to prevent the drug from entering the U.S. market for illicit purposes,” the agency said in a news release. An import alert allows the FDA to detain shipments of products that appear to be in violation of the FDA’s laws and regulations.
The drug, an animal tranquilizer used by veterinarians to sedate large animals like horses, will still be made available for “legitimate uses.”
When used in people, xylazine can cause “serious and life-threatening effects,” including severe skin wounds and dead tissue, the FDA says. It can also depress breathing, blood pressure and heart rate to “critical levels.”
Xylazine has been found in overdose deaths across the country, including in California and Pennsylvania. Because xylazine is used in conjunction with other substances, it’s difficult to determine what role the drug plays in overdose deaths. The FDA said that it has been identified as a contaminant “found in combination with opioids,” including the synthetic drug fentanyl. It has also been mixed with stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine.