Philadelphia health officials issue alert over potent sedative called "rhino tranq" found in illicit drug supply
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new and potent sedative has been found mixed in with the illicit drug supply in Philadelphia. Community outreach workers say it's already gaining a new name.
"They're calling it 'rhino tranq,'" said Brian Parkhill of Parkhill Recovery Solutions, who works primarily in the Kensington neighborhood.
Officials with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health say they're not familiar with that moniker. However, earlier this month, the department did issue a Health Alert after detecting the drug medetomidine, a powerful and primarily animal veterinary sedative, in the illicit drug supply.
"When we detected medetomidine in the drug supply, it was in combination with fentanyl and xylazine," said Daniel Teixeira da Silva, who works for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. "So I would expect a worsening of what we're already seeing."
The combination of xylazine, another animal sedative, and fentanyl creates the drug known as "tranq." But officials warn medetomidine is an even more powerful sedative than xylazine.
"Medetomidine seems to be stronger than xylazine," Teixeira da Silva said.
The presence of the drug is very new, having been detected at the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education in Horsham at the end of April. The CFSRE works in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to test illicit drugs.
Director Alex Krotulski says it was "somewhat surprising" to see the sedative in the mix because fentanyl and xylazine have been the typical combination for some time. But Krotulski notes officials with Public Health have already seen medetomidine's impact.
"One of the statistics that they produced was that in a three or four-day period, there was 160 overdoses. That's a large number," Krotulski said.
Parkhill told CBS News Philadelphia from what he's seeing on the ground, these overdoses are appearing different.
"I've had several overdoses where you just couldn't wake the people up," Parkhill said. "They appear dead. I mean, they're totally tranquilized."
Public health officials believe they know why. Teixeira da Silva says Narcan is still the first step in the process, but that it only works to reverse the opioid's effects.
"If you continue to administer Narcan, the person may not wake up because the Narcan is not working on that Alpha-2 agonist, medetomidine or xylazine," Teixeira da Silva said.
Officials say the sedative itself can also be fatal. If someone is under the influence and cutting off their airway, they could suffocate. They're also worried about low heart rate and low blood pressure associated with the drug.
But Teixeira da Silva admits there's still a lot they don't know. While some formulations of medetomidine are used in hospitals, the drug is primarily used in animal sedation. And, specifically, officials don't know how people will react to the drug when it's mixed with others like fentanyl and xylazine.
"How does this change our response to overdose? What are the implications for wounds? And how does this impact withdrawal management?" Teixeira da Silva said.
It's also unclear right now if medetomidine can cause the grievous wounds associated with the use of "tranq." Health officials say these are all things they'll be studying as they move forward.
"The report that we issued, I've been telling everyone, is really just the tip of the iceberg," Krotulski said.
Health officials, in the May 13 Health Alert, said medetomidine had previously been detected in illicit drug supplies in Maryland, Ohio, Florida and parts of Canada. Krotulski told CBS News Philadelphia techs at the CFSRE lab detected the sedative's presence in drugs in Chicago.