Utah Poison Control Center issued a safety alert in July warning that products marketed as Cat’s Claw or Kava may contain undisclosed opioid-acting compounds and have been associated with severe overdoses. Photo:

State officials are investigating a death and several severe health incidents associated with Buzzers-brand Cat’s Claw tablets

PARK CITY, Utah — Ecker Hill Middle School families were warned Monday about products marketed as “Cat’s Claw” after Utah health officials linked one brand to a death and several severe health incidents.

School nurse Jessica Walters sent the Aug. 31 notice to families, warning about products including Buzzers and Homiez and urging parents to talk with students about the risks of buying unregulated supplements and products from vape or smoke shops.

The warning follows alerts issued this summer by the Utah Poison Control Center and Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

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On July 30, the two agencies warned consumers not to buy or use Buzzers-brand Cat’s Claw tablets while state officials investigated a recent death and several severe health incidents associated with the products. State testing found that Buzzers tablets contained mitragynine pseudoindoxyl and MGM-15, opioid-acting compounds derived from kratom that are illegal in Utah.

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food said the substances were found in multiple flavors of Buzzers tablets and had been identified in overdose cases in the preceding weeks. The department said the products had been mislabeled as Cat’s Claw products and were being illegally sold by Utah retailers.

The warning followed a July 22 alert from the Utah Poison Control Center about potentially dangerous products containing blends marketed as kava or Cat’s Claw and sold in smoke shops or online. The center specifically identified Buzzers and Homiez among the brands of concern but said other products could also be involved.

Poison control officials said they had received multiple reports of severe overdoses associated with the products. They suspected that some were adulterated with kratom-related compounds including 7-hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 or MGM-16. The center said product labels may not disclose the compounds and, in some cases, may claim that products contain no kratom or 7-OH.

The Utah Poison Control Center warned that the products could cause life-threatening opioid overdoses, dependence, or withdrawal.

Utah law allows only pure-leaf kratom products to be sold in the state. Kratom can be sold only through qualifying retail tobacco specialty businesses, and sales to people under 21 are prohibited. Utah also prohibits products containing synthetic kratom-derived compounds and products with 7-OH above state limits.

Federal regulators have also taken action against some of the compounds.

On Aug. 25, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the Drug Enforcement Administration was temporarily placing mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 into Schedule I. The Justice Department described the three substances as highly potent opioid compounds and said they are being sold in consumer products whose labels may obscure their risks.

The FDA distinguishes those synthetic compounds from 7-OH itself. The agency says 7-OH occurs naturally in trace amounts in the kratom plant but has warned consumers against products containing added or enhanced levels of 7-OH because of their opioid effects and potential for serious harm.

In her message to Ecker Hill families, Walters encouraged parents to discuss the risks of buying unregulated supplements or vape-shop products and asked families to report suspected cases involving the products to the Utah Poison Control Center.

The poison center advises people to call 911 and administer naloxone if someone who has used one of the products cannot be awakened or is not breathing. Report health concerns involving the products to the Utah Poison Control Center 24 hours a day at 1-800-222-1222.