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Pfizer blocks use of drugs for lethal injections

15 May, 2016 - 00:05 0 Views

The Sunday News

Washington — Pharmaceutical company Pfizer said it was blocking use of its drugs in lethal injections, which means all federally-approved drug-makers whose medications could be used for executions have now put them off limits. “Pfizer makes its products to enhance and save the lives of the patients we serve. Consistent with these values, Pfizer strongly objects to the use of its products as lethal injections for capital punishment,” the company said in the statement made public on its website on Friday.

The company’s announcement has limited immediate impact. Its action is an enhancement of a previous policy that follows Pfizer’s $15.23bn purchase of Lake Forest, Illinois-based Hospira in 2015. Hospira had previously prohibited the use of its drugs in capital punishment, as have several other drug-makers.

The development means the approximately 25 FDA-approved companies worldwide able to manufacture drugs used in executions have now blocked the use of the drugs, according to Reprieve, a New York-based human rights organisation opposed to the death penalty.

“Pfizer’s actions cement the pharmaceutical industry’s opposition to the misuse of medicines,” Maya Foia, Reprieve director, said in a statement.Pfizer’s announcement was unlikely to have much effect on executions, which have slowed in recent years as drug-makers’ prohibition on the drugs took effect.However, as recently as last year, records showed that labels of Arkansas execution drugs appeared to indicate that the state’s potassium chloride, which stops the heart, was made by Hospira. Pfizer spokesperson Rachel Hooper said the company couldn’t speculate on the impact of its decision. — AP.

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