By Kevin Shanks, D-ABFT-FT “Pink cocaine” has been in the news recently due to the death of Liam Payne, one of the vocalists from the pop music group, One Direction. He died after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. What exactly is...
By Stuart Kurtz, D-ABFT-FT At this year’s annual meeting of NAME, we presented a handful of case reports on tianeptine. We had previously provided some information on tianeptine in a blog post from September 18, 2023. The aim of this poster was to present cases where...
By Denise Purdie Andrews This Fall, Axis’ expert toxicologists can be found speaking in multiple venues, helping to educate our clients and share expertise with other forensic scientists. The National Association of Medical Examiner (NAME) 2024 Annual Meeting,...
By Kevin Shanks, D-ABFT-FT What are Designer Benzodiazepines? Designer benzodiazepines are substances synthesized to mimic the effects of traditional benzodiazepines, which are commonly prescribed for anxiety, insomnia, and other conditions. Unlike their...
By Kevin Shanks, D-ABFT-FT Medetomidine, an alpha-2-adrenergic receptor agonist, similar to the prescription medications clonidine and tizanadine and the veterinary medicine xylazine, is approved for use in human and veterinary medicine and has found its way into the...
