Sole U.S. producer of lethal injection drug quits market

[somone]

http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/static/business/article1878764.html

Sole U.S. producer of lethal injection drug quits market

Hospira Inc. , the only U.S. manufacturer of one of the drugs used in lethal injections, is halting production of a drug over a controversy in Europe about its use in capital punishment.

Many U.S. states have already run out of sodium thiopental, and today's decision by Hospira could see further delays in executions.

Hospira had suspended production in 2009 but planned to start up again early this year at its facility in Liscate, Italy. Italy's government, though, ordered the company to make certain that the drug manufactured in Italy wouldn't be used for executions.

"In the last month, we've had ongoing dialogue with the Italian authorities concerning the use of Pentothal in capital punishment procedures in the United States – a use Hospira has never condoned," the Illinois-based company said in a statement today...

[LiberalFighter]

1. If Hospira never condoned the use of Pentothal then why manufacture?

[mimitabby]

3. it's not just good for killing

[hlthe2b]

4. Sodium Pentothal has long been used for ANESTHESIA

purposes, especially in veterinary medicine. It was NEVER originally produced to be used for lethal injection.

I find this so sad that a very useful and safe anesthetic drug will likely now be unavailable for the purposes for which it was intended because of the horrific execution industry.

[begin_within]

2. How big of a "market" is there?

Is execution a growth industry?

[rfranklin]

6. WHO list it as an essential drug...

Sodium thiopental, better known as Sodium Pentothal (a trademark of Abbott Laboratories), thiopental, thiopentone sodium, or Trapanal (also a trademark), is a rapid-onset short-acting barbiturate general anaesthetic. Thiopental is a core medicine in the World Health Organization's "Essential Drugs List", which is a list of minimum medical needs for a basic healthcare system

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_thiopental

[MattBaggins]

5. is there any kind of legal basis for the company to tell the US government

not use the drug to kill people?

[LuvNewcastle]

7. I don't understand why the govt.

needs this particular drug. There are so many drugs out there that will kill a person; people often kill themselves accidentally. If this drug can be used for good, why doesn't the govt. just agree to stop using it for executions? The hospitals could continue to use sodium thiopental for surgeries and such, and executioners could simply substitute another drug.

[unblock]

8. it's a dying business.

oh, quit yer groaning! someone had to say it!

:evilgrin:

[goforit]

9. Well, Now that guns are fully supported by 75% of America,

Will there ever be any other way?

[drm604]

10. So now patients will be deprived of an essential medication

because of the bloodthirstiness of some states. I imagine it will be replaced medically with something else. Possibly something less effective and less safe. Of course that replacement will probably also be used as a replacement in executions and companies will then stop manufacturing that. Will we eventually end up with no decent surgical anesthetics?

[krispos42]

11. How about you make the drug here in the US instead?

:banghead: