Four deaths in Utah have been linked to powerful semi-synthetic kratom compounds, state officials announced Monday.
The compounds derived from kratom, pseudoindoxyl mitragynine (MGPI) and dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine (MGM-15), are illegal in the state and were recently classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as Schedule 1 drugs. Both are semi-synthetic derivatives of kratom.
Utah Health, Poison Control and Agriculture officials warned that the compounds were found in some herbal supplements, including kratom products, as well as products labeled “cat’s claw.” Cat’s claw is not a harmful supplement, but testing in these cases found it contained MPGI and MGM-15, the release said.
The warning states that the products are “often sold under brand names such as ‘Buzzers’ and are misleadingly labeled as containing ‘cat’s claw’ or its scientific name Uncaria tomentosa.” The labels, officials say, often claim the product is “legal and kratom-free” but warn that it is for “adults only/21+” or that it produces strong psychoactive effects. Dr. Michael Moss, medical director of the Utah Poison Control Center, said one of the four deaths was linked to a Buzzers product.
“These cat’s claw products contain dangerous opioids derived from kratom,” Moss said. “No one should take these products, retailers should not sell them, and health care providers should be aware of the potential for addiction, withdrawal, and overdose from their use.”
Experts say cat’s claw, which comes from a South American vine, is generally safe. Some people consume it for its anti-inflammatory properties. Kratom is used to relieve pain, depression, and opioid withdrawal, but it is highly addictive and can cause overdose and death in extreme cases. Neither is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which states that kratom is not appropriate for use as a dietary supplement.
Exo Club, which makes Buzzers, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On its website, it states that the product does not contain kratom. “We extract an indole alkaloid from the Cat’s Claw plant to mirror the effects of popular kratom products,” the website reads.
In recent months, Utah has noticed calls for poison control over cat’s claw products, which experts say do not cause harmful side effects. Instead, people were reporting symptoms that resembled opioid overdoses, Moss told NBC News.
Several other states have also recently issued warnings about products labeled as cat’s claw and containing kratom-related compounds. Tennessee issued its own warning in September after its Bureau of Investigation discovered the synthetic kratom compound MGM-15 in cat’s claw products.
In Virginia, the Blue Ridge Poison Center also received calls about cat’s claw products that caused opioid-like effects.
Kratom is banned in at least 10 states, and many others regulate it or ban specific kratom-related compounds.
The FDA recommended last year that the Justice Department classify 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, an opioid found in the kratom plant, as an illicit substance. This summer, the DEA announced its intention to do so, but it has not yet done so. It did, however, temporarily classify several other kratom-related compounds, including MGPI and MGM-15, as Schedule 1 drugs.
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 233 deaths were linked to kratom between 2015 and 2025.
TMZ reported that, according to the medical examiner’s office in Nashville, Tennessee, Grammy-nominated record producer Tay Keith, 29, real name BryTavious Chambers, had kratom and ketamine in his system when he was found dead in June. In 2023, the family of a Florida woman was awarded $11 million in a wrongful death lawsuit after the coroner attributed her death to “acute mitragynine poisoning,” referring to a compound found in kratom.
In Mississippi, investigators are investigating the deaths of two University of Mississippi students in September. Packaged kratom was found at the scene of both deaths.
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