Xylazine: What to know about the flesh-eating ‘zombie drug’ spreading from the US to Europe

A 43-year-old man in the UK has become Europe’s first known victim of the flesh-rotting “zombie” drug xylazine, a powerful tranquilliser normally used by veterinarians on large animals which recently made its way onto the global illicit drug market.

The man, identified by British media as Karl Warburton, died in his home in May 2022, but was only recognised as the UK’s first likely victim of xylazine after a study released this week by researchers at King’s College London (KCL).

The study screened all drug-related deaths reported to the UK’s National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths (NPSAD) for cases with xylazine detections - and found one. A report about the case has been published in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine.

Warburton had a history of illicit drug consumption and had been referred to addiction services on several occasions, according to the coroner’s report.

In his body, doctors found traces of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and xylazine. He was likely unaware that he was consuming the “zombie” drug, according to the researchers, who said that Warburton was “likely to have bought heroin and not known it was laced with xylazine and fentanyl”.

The study added that “to the best of our knowledge, this is the first death associated with xylazine use reported in the UK, and even Europe, and indicates the entry of xylazine into the UK drug supply”.

Xylazine - which is also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope” when combined with heroin or fentanyl - is a sedative used on large animals for pain relief and muscle relaxation. It’s not fit for human consumption, in any dose.

When injected into a person’s body, it can cause a dangerously slow heart rate and large open skin wounds like ulcers and abscesses.

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