Fake Xanax: Anxiety drug deaths an ‘escalating crisis’

Joe McCrisken says he is signing off an alprazolam-related death nearly once a week.

He says "most of the deaths" are caused by counterfeit versions of Xanax, the brand name for the drug alprazolam.

"The deaths are a very tiny tip of what is a very huge iceberg," he says.

Xanax is used to treat anxiety and panic attacks. It is not available on the NHS. It is a powerful tranquiliser.

But it can be obtained on private prescription in the UK, is widely prescribed in the US, and counterfeit versions circulate on the black market.

Last year, the BBC found that children as young as 11 were being treated by ambulance services after taking fake versions of it.