Animal sedative found in drugs linked to mass overdose in Baltimore’s Penn North

Health officials are saying a powerful animal sedative was found in drugs linked to a mass overdose in Baltimore’s Penn North area.

The sedative, Medetomidine, often mixed with fentanyl, makes overdoses harder to reverse since Narcan doesn’t work against it. Eleven people overdosed on Oct. 8, and seven were hospitalized.

Similar cases have been reported in Philadelphia, where the drug recently entered the street supply.

Since July, the Penn North area has seen three mass overdoses.