ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — The New York State Department of Health (DOH) issued a public health alert on Friday, June 21, after officials confirmed that drug samples in Central New York and the Capital Region contained a powerful synthetic animal sedative.
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The Department of Health said it discovered the dangerous mixture with the help of ACR Health in Syracuse and Catholic Charities in Schenectady. Test results confirmed medetomidine in two samples. The first sample, taken in Schenectady on May 24, also contained fentanyl.
On June 5, they took a second sample in Syracuse, one that may be linked to two non-fatal overdoses.
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“Medetomidine has effects on the central nervous system and can be extremely dangerous when combined with other substances,” Health Secretary Dr. James MacDonald wrote in a public health alert. The Health Department also noted that medetomidine is considered to be more powerful than xylazine, also known as “Tranqui.”
On May 31, the Office of Addiction Services and Assistance (OASAS) issued a public health advisory warning that medetomidine poses a new threat to the U.S. drug supply. The advisory explains that “massive overdose outbreaks” linked to medetomidine in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Pittsburgh have been unable to be reversed with naloxone.
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At the time OASAS issued its alert, no medetomidine had been found in New York state. On Friday, an OASAS spokesperson advised, “Although medetomidine is not an opioid and does not respond to naloxone, naloxone should be administered to anyone suspected of overdose. In addition to administering naloxone and providing artificial respiration, emergency systems should be notified as soon as possible.”
According to OASAS, the effects of the drug are even more pronounced when combined with opioids, and include slowed breathing, slow heart rate, high or low blood pressure, poor circulation and heart failure.
An even earlier public warning by the Center for Forensic Research and Education, the drug was first identified in the US state of Maryland in late 2022. It then spread to Missouri, Colorado, Pennsylvania and California in 2023.
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In addition to Syracuse and Schenectady, community drug testing programs also exist in Albany, the Bronx, Hauppauge, Ithaca, Johnson City, Plattsburgh, Utica and Watertown. These programs use spectroscopes and test strips to identify residual substances.
