Report of an outbreak of toxicity from a novel drug of abuse in the UK: Eric-3

Abstract

Introduction We present a case series of toxicity due to a novel substance in the UK: Eric-3. Novel drugs of abuse are becoming more common throughout the world, and they represent particular dif culties in their acute management. A recent report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and Europol has reported 49 new psychoactive substances reported via its early warning system. Methods This was a retrospective case-note review over a 6-month period. Patients were included if their presentation was due to recent ingestion of Eric-3. Physiological data, symptoms, outcome and destination of the patient from the emergency department were collected. Postmortem toxicological analysis was obtained for one of the two patients who died. Results Forty-one attendances were identif ed from 18 patients. Two patients died and f ve were admitted to the ICU. Heart rate and temperature on arrival tended to be above normal (mean heart rate was 112 bpm, with an SD of 18; mean temperature was 37.45degreeC with an SD of 0.95). In total, 63.4% of attendances included agitation and 34.1% choreiform movements. alpha-Methyltryptamine and 3-/4-f uoroephedrine were found in the blood of one of the patients who died. Conclusion In this outbreak in the UK, Eric-3 gave symptoms similar to other stimulants known as legal highs, including death. It may have been a novel substance, 3-/4-f uoroephedrine. This underlines the need for prospective data collection and early national and international information sharing.