A man has become the first person in the UK known to have died from taking a powerful sedative often referred to as a 'zombie drug'.
The 43-year-old was marked by experts as the first death as a direct result from xylazine. The substance is frequently used as a tranquilliser for large animals and gets its nickname from the effects it has on the body.
While the drug can lower breathing and heart rate, it can also result in large ulcers forming on the skin if it's injected. The drug recently became known after causing a surge of deaths in the US, with research by the Food and Drug Administration stating it's prevalent in 7 per cent of overdoses across the states.
