Fake prescription anti-anxiety pills are thought to have left several people seriously ill in hospital. Swansea Bay health board said they were taken to Morriston Hospital’s emergency department after overdosing on Wednesday.
It said it believed the tablets were being sold illegally as Valium and Xanax in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. It comes as a report warned of the number of fake pills being seen by health experts.
Public Health Wales’ drugs testing lab said it had seen a “substantial increase” in prescription pills being sent for analysis by people concerned about their authenticity. Josie Smith, PHW’s head of substance misuse, said the issue had likely got worse due to Covid and lockdowns.
The most common were benzodiazepines, a group of anti-anxiety pills which includes diazepam and Xanax.
More than half of those tested were found to be fakes, often containing stronger, unregulated chemicals.
- ‘Fake prescription drugs left my son brain damaged’
- ‘Major concern’ over online drug purchases
