Drug safety agency High Alert has issued a warning around the circulation of fake oxycodone tablets following a sudden death and hospitalisation in Napier last Friday.

Emergency services were called to a property on Guys Hill Rd on Hospital Hill at 2.45pm on September 22 where police investigated a sudden death. One person was also taken to hospital in a serious condition.

When questioned about a safety message relating to the death and hospitalisation, police referred Hawke’s Bay Today to an alert sent out this week by High Alert.

The alert said fake oxycodone tablets that contained the highly potent synthetic opioid metonitazene may be linked to a recent death and a number of serious hospitalisations in New Zealand.

Metonitazene was found for the first time here by authorities last year. It is said to have a potency equivalent to fentanyl and is considered potentially deadly.

“Metonitazene acts quickly to produce strong sedative/depressant effects. This substance has been linked to drug-related deaths internationally,” the alert said.

“High Alert urges extreme caution should you chose to take these tablets. These tablets are not legitimate oxycodone tablets and are of unknown dosage. Taking these tablets could lead to serious harm, including death, even if you have experience using opioids.”

Oxycodone is a semi-synthetic narcotic analgesic used to treat moderate to severe pain. Its common street names are hillbilly heroin, kicker, OC, ox, Roxy, perc and oxy.

The fake drugs could be identified as round yellow tablets with a bevelled edge, a break line through middle and no other markings.

High Alert said a sample of the fake substance was submitted to the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) for analysis, which determined the sample contained metonitazene.

“The tablets are being sold online as ‘40mg oxycodone pills’, however, are described as ‘metonitazene-based oxys’. These tablets are not legitimate 40mg oxycodone tablets and the quantity of metonitazene present is not known.

“There is a concern this information may not be communicated to people not purchasing these tablets from the original online source.”

High Alert advised if someone had taken the substance and started to lose consciousness or breathe slowly, 111 should be immediately called and services informed that it could be an opioid overdose.

“Naloxone can be used to help reverse an overdose. Given the unknown strength, potency and duration of effect, any person administered naloxone should continue to be monitored for two hours,” High Alert said.

It’s not the first time that issues around drug safety have occurred in Hawke’s Bay in the past year.

Four men were admitted to Hawke’s Bay Hospital last month after consuming illicit drugs that may have been laced.

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.