HUNTINGTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A team of researchers at Marshall University has identified a promising new treatment strategy for overdoses involving fentanyl and xylazine—a dangerous drug combination increasingly linked to severe health risks and reduced effectiveness of standard overdose treatments.
In a study published in The Journal of Translational Research, Michael Hambuchen, PharmD, PhD, associate professor at the Marshall University School of Pharmacy, and pharmacy graduate student Jyostna Yalakala, BVSc, MS, worked with clinical researcher Todd Davies, PhD, of the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, and the addiction medicine fellowship team to test the effectiveness of combining naloxone with the investigational drug atipamezole.
“Adding even a low dose of atipamezole—already tested safely in humans for other indications—to naloxone rapidly restored consciousness in rats exposed to fentanyl and xylazine,” said Hambuchen, lead author of the study.
“We also saw improvements in heart rate, blood glucose and body temperature, which are all severely disrupted by this dangerous drug combination.”
Xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use, is often found in street fentanyl.
The combination can cause deep sedation, impaired breathing, dangerously low heart rate and temperature, and elevated blood sugar.
Chronic use may also result in severe skin ulcers. Since xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone alone is often ineffective in reversing its effects.
“The collaboration on this study between Addiction Sciences and the School of Pharmacy represents the kind of translational research that bridges laboratory science with real-world clinical needs,” Davies said.
“By replicating complex overdose scenarios in the lab, Marshall University is advancing potential treatment strategies with direct relevance to West Virginia and beyond.”
The research was supported by the Marshall University School of Pharmacy Faculty Research Support Program and the John Marshall University Scholars Award Program.
The full study, titled “Co-administration of atipamezole with naloxone restores consciousness and physiological parameters in a rat model of xylazine-fentanyl overdose,” is available online.
