Pfizer Blocks Use of Its Drugs in Lethal Injections
Federal drugmakers who make the drugs for lethal injections in capital punishment can no longer use drugs from Pfizer.
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer, Inc. is blocking the use of any of the drugs it manufactures for use in lethal injections in the U.S. In a public statement published on the company's website last Friday, it said that its products are made to "enhance and save the lives of the patients" they serve; therefore, the use of their products in lethal injections goes against these core values. This signifies that federal drugmakers who make the drugs for lethal injections in capital punishment can no longer use drugs from Pfizer, according to a report in Business Insider.
This action follows the Pfizer's purchase of Hospira, Inc., an Illinois-based company that used to make the drugs that were earlier used in lethal injections. Hospira, prior to its purchase by Pfizer, had earlier stopped the use of its drugs in capital punishment, which meant that Pfizer was only following suit when it comes to its other drugs.
Human rights organizations commended this move by the company, stating that it indicated how the pharmaceutical industry is opposing the "misuse of medicines." According to a statement of Maya Foa, director of New York-based human rights organization Reprieve, around 25 FDA-approved companies worldwide who make the drugs for use in capital punishment have now blocked the use of the drugs.
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Another report from The Examiner stated that this decision by Pfizer will not have any immediate impact, especially on the imposition of capital punishment. As it is, lethal injections in the U.S. have slowed down because other drug companies have blocked the use of their drugs.
For states who still conduct lethal injections for capital punishment, this move means that they will have to find another way or method to impose it. According to Inquisitr, Pfizer was their last source of lethal injection drugs, so without any other source, they may turn to underground means to get the drugs or using another method for capital punishment altogether.
In the case of states that have laws that stating they can use other methods of capital punishment, this ban by Pfizer will not have any effect on their rate of executions. Utah can make use of a firing squad while Oklahoma can use nitrogen gas. Tennessee, on the other hand, is still authorized to make use of the electric chair.
