It has emerged that the largest US
pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, recently took steps to prevent its drugs being
used in lethal injections."We strongly
object to the use of any of our products in the lethal injection process for
capital punishment," the company said.It stressed that its products were meant to
save the lives of patients.The move reportedly shuts off the last
remaining open market source of drugs used in executions in the US.
Lethal injection has long been the most common
form of execution in the US.Traditionally states relied upon a combination
of drugs to put the inmate to sleep and restrict his breathing, leading to a
cardiac arrest.A European Union ban on the export of such drugs
in 2011 prompted American drug manufacturers to follow suit, leaving officials
in search of new drug cocktails by which the lethal injection could be
achieved.The decision follows
similar moves by more than 20 US and global drug-makers,according to a New York
Times report.In a statement published on its website last
month, Pfizer said seven of its drugs would only be sold to purchasers on
condition that they would not resell them to correctional institutions
.Pfizer said it offered the products because
they saved or improved lives, and marketed them solely for use as indicated in
the product labelling."Pfizer makes its products solely to
enhance and save the lives of the patients we serve," it said."We are committed to ensuring that our
products remain available and accessible to the medical professionals and
patients who rely upon them every day."Human rights groups have long campaigned
against using medicines for the purpose of capital punishment.
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