Death penalty drug news 2016: Pfizer drugs can longer be used for lethal injection

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer has tightened its reigns on the use of its drugs and will no longer allow them to be used in the execution chamber.

"Pfizer strongly objects to the use of its products as lethal injections for capital punishment," the company said in a statement. "We are enforcing a distribution restriction for specific products that have been part of, or considered by some states for, their lethal injection protocols."

The American corporation explained that their mission is to apply their science and resources to improve people's health and well-being, and it is their obligation to make sure that their products are available to patients who rely on them for their medical needs. At the same time, they are restricting the use of seven products that are used for lethal injection in some states, namely: pancuronium bromide, potassium chloride, propofol, midazolam, hydromorphone, rocuronium bromide, and vecuronium bromide.

"Pfizer's distribution restriction limits the sale of these seven products to a select group of wholesalers, distributors, and direct purchasers under the condition that they will not resell these products to correctional institutions for use in lethal injections," the press release says. 

Government bodies that purchase or acquire these products must certify that they will not be for penal use but only for medically prescribed patient care. Moreover, they will be required to certify that the products are for their own use and not for resale or for use of another party.

"Pfizer will consistently monitor the distribution of these seven products, act upon findings that reveal noncompliance, and modify policies when necessary to remain consistent with our stated position against the improper use of our products in lethal injections," the company says. 

Pfizer, according to The Wall Street Journal, had already put in place restrictions in the use of their products but updated the policies following their acquisition of Hospira last year, the products of which might still be in use for such a purpose. Other companies have also already clamped down on the use of their drugs for lethal injection, with Pfizer being the last big pharmateucal company to make such a move.

While Pfizer's decision could have an impact on lethal injection and the death penalty, some say it is unlikely to stop the practice. Criminal Justice Legal Foundation's Kent S. Scheidegger said that some states acquire drugs from compounding pharmacies, which are no longer a part of Pfizer's chain of distribution. Moroever, some states are also setting up alternative measures if lethal injection cannot be used, such as a bill in Utah that goes for a firing squad or the 2014 Tennessee option of using the electric chair.