Pfizer’s announcement is unlikely to have much effect on executions, which have slowed in recent years as states have struggled to find drugs or moved to eliminate the death penalty altogether.
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According to the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, Robert Dunham, “the normal pharmaceutical market” is now completely closed to those looking to procure products for use in executions.
“We are enforcing a distribution restriction forspecific products that have been part of, or considered by somestates for their lethal injection protocols”, the NewYork-headquartered firm said.
“Consistent with these values, Pfizer strongly objects to the use of its products as lethal injections for capital punishment”, the company said in a statement.
According to a report in WaayTV by Megan Wiebold, “Pfizer is taking action to block the use of it’s drugs in executions”.
World News – The Pfizer drug company took steps Friday to make sure its products don’t wind up in the deadly cocktails states use to execute prisoners.
The drug manufacturer says it makes products to “enhance and save the lives of patients”.
Any government purchasers will have to declare that the intended use is only for “medically prescribed patient care”, not to be used in any kind of punishment.
In the USA, there are 31 states that give capital punishment with the means of lethal injection primarily.
Anti-death penalty campaigners see the decision as a win, but it could have unintended consequences. Pfizer spokeswoman Rachel Hooper said the company couldn’t speculate on the impact of its decision. With no end in sight to the drug shortage, some states are considering a return to the electric chair and Utah has approved the use of firing squads.
Pfizer acquired Hospira previous year. Among them: procuring the drugs from alternative sources, devising a one-drug method, employing other drugs such as midazolam or propofol, and using controversial compounding pharmacies to manufacture the drugs.
Some remaining death penalty states have been using compounded versions of drugs that fall outside of FDA approval.
As there is less supply of drugs used in lethal injection, this is causing difficulty to those involved in the practice.
In 2010, the Observer revealed that British companies had been secretly supplying the United States with lethal injection drugs, triggering calls for an export ban.
Pfizer isn’t letting states buy its drugs for executions any more.
“Their corporate mission to save lives and not to take lives”, he added.
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Some states have covertly bought supplies from loosely regulated pharmacies while others, including Arizona, Oklahoma and OH, have delayed executions for months or longer because of drug shortages or legal issues tied to injection procedures. Two hours and 15 lethal injection doses later, Wood died.
