Overview
- The CDC and the White House drug policy office, which issued a health advisory Thursday, warned that the veterinary sedative medetomidine is turning up in fentanyl across the U.S.
- Medetomidine, sometimes called “rhino tranq,” can cause deep sedation, a slow heart rate, and low blood pressure, which heighten the risk of overdose.
- Naloxone can restore breathing from fentanyl exposure, but it does not reverse medetomidine’s sedative effects.
- Surveillance data show sharp growth in detections, rising from 247 in 2023 to 2,616 in 2024 and 8,233 in 2025, with about 98% of medetomidine‑positive samples also containing fentanyl and reports from at least 18 states and Washington, D.C.
- Officials urged hospitals to prepare for severe, fast‑onset withdrawal that may peak within 18–36 hours and require ICU care, and they called for expanded toxicology testing and wastewater monitoring to track the spread.