News Release

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Health has released an alert about an imminent threat of the drug Bromazolam. The alert was released on Monday, Aug. 28.

The drug is synthetic and was first developed in the 1970s. The drug was never approved for use in the United States. The drug is in the same class as Xanax and Valium. On the streets, the drug is known as “XLI-268” and “fake Xanax.” Bromazolam is commonly laced with fentanyl.

The drug can be found in tablet, powder and gummy form. The Department of Health reported that Bromazolam didn’t appear in the US until four years ago. The drug is new to officials; so new that officials didn’t test for the drug until this year.

According to numbers provided by the Indiana Department of Health, the drug was noted in the toxicology reports of 35 overdose victims from January 2023 to June 2023. The best treatment for an overdose of Bromazolam is Narcan.

To find ways to obtain Narcan, click here.