Pharmaceutical Giant Pfizer Says No More Use Of Their Drugs For Lethal Injection Executions In The United States
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced Friday that it had taken measures to ensure that its drugs were not used for lethal injection executions anymore. A spokesperson for the pharmaceutical company in a statement said, “Pfizer makes its products to enhance and save lives of the patients we serve and strongly objects to the use of its products as lethal injections for capital punishment.”
As the New York Times reports, over 20 major drug manufacturers based in America and Europe have already blocked the use of their drugs for executions. However, the decision from Pfizer, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world, is seen by many as a milestone, a move that has seen some U.S. states consider other alternative methods like death by firing squad and the electric chair.
Pfizer says it won’t allow its drugs to be used in executions: Here’s what that means https://t.co/igwevxOh3O pic.twitter.com/dTJBFaqovQ
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) May 14, 2016
The use of drugs for lethal injections executions have dwindled in recent years as manufacturers have sought to disassociate themselves and stop the sale of their products to correction agencies. Additionally, cases of experimenting with new drugs have been met with stiff resistance after several executions have been anything but smooth. In 2014, the lengthy execution of Joseph R. Wood III was caused by the use of an experimental sedative called midazolam.
Reports also say that clandestine efforts to purchase lethal chemicals in Asia have been strewn with lawsuits. Most of these drugs are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration and have been seized. States like Ohio, Oklahoma, and Arizona have postponed executions because of drug scarcities and legal complications tied to injection processes.
Legal counsel representing prisoners on death row have also challenged the secrecy behind obtaining lethal drugs, arguing that it is difficult to know if they actually meet up to qualitative standards which could result in untold suffering for their clients. Ty Alper, an associate director at the University of California, said “states are shrouding in secrecy aspects of what should be the most transparent government activity.”
In Missouri, a prisoner was executed by lethal injection Wednesday. However, prison authorities refused to disclose whether the fatal barbiturate used was made by licensed manufacturer Akorn, the only certified manufacturer of the drug, which in recent times has distanced its product from being used in executions.
The barring of drug exportation in most parts of Europe as well as campaigns against the death penalty have made drug manufacturers rethink associating their products with executions. Pfizer says it is guided by business concerns and medical principles. David B. Muhlhausen, an expert in criminal justice, is of the opinion that drug manufacturers are wilting under pressure from special interest groups. He opines that while manufacturers have the unequivocal right to decide how their products are used, attempts of halting sales because of executions is not in the best interest of the public. According to him, research shows that the deterrent effect for anyone who commits a serious crime is the death penalty.
Pressure on Pfizer to stop selling drugs for executions has also come from the trustees of the New York State pension fund, a major shareholder who used their influence to push through the new policy. Thomas DiNapoli, a state comptroller, in an email said it was risky for a company in the business of healing people to also provide drugs for executions. He went on to say that such company would be putting its reputation at risk which could attract legal and financial damage.
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