Fatal acute lemborexant Poisoning: An autopsy case report
Gentaro Yamasaki1, Yasuhiro Ueno1, Motonori Takahashi1
1Division of Legal Medicine, Department of Community Medicine and Social Health Science, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan; Medical Examiner's Office of Hyogo Prefecture, 2-1-31 Arata-cho, Hyogo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
Abstract:
A 50-year-old male was found dead in a park. Postmortem analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry revealed lemborexant concentrations of 1.651 μg/mL in blood from the right heart, 0.236 μg/mL in the urine, and 58.642 μg/mL in the stomach contents. Based on the autopsy findings and postmortem analyses, the cause of death was identified as acute lemborexant poisoning due to an overdose. Although lemborexant is generally considered safe, its excessive ingestion can be fatal. Since no lethal concentration of lemborexant has been reported, the blood levels in this case can serve as a reference. Despite its widespread clinical use, lemborexant is not detected by the rapid urine drug screening tests currently available in Japanese investigative agencies. Forensic pathologists must be vigilant in order not to overlook acute lemborexant poisoning.
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