Delaware launches new, first of its kind program to test for fentanyl and xylazine

DOVER, Del. – Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long has announced a new, groundbreaking program to reduce opioid deaths in Delaware.

The First State will be first in the nation to pilot a new, dual fentanyl and xylazine testing strip. Currently, fentanyl and xylazine testing strips are only offered as two separate tests, but this new program combines the two into one in an effort to save lives. The pilot comes as Delaware battles the ongoing opioid crisis and officials fear spikes in overdoses around the July Fourth holiday.

“Delaware is committed to responding to the opioid crisis with the urgency it demands,” Lt. Governor Hall-Long said. “We know harm reduction strategies work, and this new test strip – conceptualized by Delaware’s own SIVAD Diagnostic Medical Group, LLC – is just another way we can protect residents from potential overdoses.”

Lt. Governor Hall-Long, who chairs the state’s Behavioral Health Consortium, leads a statewide effort to combat the tragic effects of the opioid crisis. She tells us the new pilot program comes as the state is seeing more and more cases of overdose deaths from xyaline, more commonly known as tranq, a powerful substance that can have devastating effects on the human body.

“This unbelievable, really dangerous tranquilizer that’s meant for animals called xylazine that now unfortunately and tragically drug dealers are placing in substances,” Lt. Governor Hall-Long stressed. “Xylazine is very, very damaging to the skin and causes gaping wounds and will often lead to amputations.”

Delaware health officials are growing increasingly concerned as xylazine is being found in a number of overdoses across the state. They fear a spike could be on the horizon with the upcoming 4th of July holiday.

“Typically, around a holiday we often see in an uptick in drug use and that can tragically lead to overdoses,” said Dr. Sandra Gibney, a renowned local healthcare provider working in partnership with Brandywine Counseling and Community Services. “This pilot comes at the right time and with the right interventions. With this new harm reduction product, people struggling with substance use disorder can now use one test at one time and know immediately how to protect themselves. We’re eager to get these tests on the ground and into the community.”

The new test strip, known as HarmGuard FX, was developed by SIVAD Diagnostic Medical Group, LLC, headquartered in Bear, Delaware. Validated by a U.S.-based, FDA-registered testing lab, it’s the first harm reduction test strip to detect both fentanyl and xylazine in various substances including powders, pills, or residue from baggies or cookers.

Like existing fentanyl test strips, if a line appears, it signals safety. There are separate safety lines for fentanyl and xylazine. If no safety line appears, it indicates the presence of fentanyl or xylazine (or both), and users should avoid the substance.

The product also utilizes a QR code and AI-driven portal with geolocation to help people find local resources like counseling, emergency services and free naloxone distribution locations.

While fentanyl overdose can be reversed with Narcan, there is no reversal agent for xylazine. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recently reported that it had found the deadly combination of fentanyl and xylazine in nearly a quarter of drugs sampled from 48 out of 50 states.

The new test strips will be distributed at three Brandywine Counseling clinic locations statewide, through the organization’s mobile syringe services vans, and in the community in partnership with Gibney Mobile Healthcare.

Test Strip Locations and Outreach with Brandywine Counseling and Community Services

Lancaster Avenue Treatment Center, 2713 Lancaster Ave., Wilmington, DE 19805

Milford Treatment Center, 769 E. Masten Circle, Suite 113/115, Milford, DE 19963

Georgetown Treatment Center, 10 N. Railroad Ave., Georgetown, DE 19947

In 2022, at least 537 Delaware residents died from drug overdoses, according to the state’s Division of Forensic Science – the most overdose deaths on record. About 80% of these deaths involved fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin.

Between 2018 and 2021, deaths involving xylazine increased by 1,238%, according to the CDC, leading the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to designate fentanyl combined with xylazine as an emerging threat to the U.S.

If you or someone you care about is struggling with substance use, call the Delaware Hope Line at 1-833-9-HOPEDE for information and resources or visit HelpisHereDE.com.