Reuters posts, "Novartis moves to stop execution drug reaching US." It's written by Katie Reid.
Novartis (NOVN.VX) and its Sandoz unit, maker of a generic version of an anaesthetic used in lethal injections in the United States, have taken steps to try to stop the drug ending up in the United States.
"Sandoz has also advised all of its subsidiaries with locally approved marketing authorisations for sodium thiopental to not sell the product to distributors or third parties that may be selling it into the U.S.," Novartis and Sandoz said in a statement.
Last month, U.S. specialty medicines maker Hospira Inc (HSP.N) said it was halting its production of sodium thiopental as it did not want it to be used in executions.
And:
"Sandoz and Novartis support only the authorized use of injectable thiopental, which is primarily indicated for the induction of anaesthesia, and do not support the sale of this or any product for use in non-approved treatments," Novartis and Sandoz said in a statement.
Sandoz makes injectable thiopental under contract for a third party located in the UK, which sells it directly to Archimedes Pharma.
The British group is responsible for the product's marketing and commercial supply under its respective UK marketing authorisation, Novartis and Sandoz said in the statement.
Novartis and Sandoz also said Sandoz does not market the drug in the United States or ship or sell directly to any third party selling this product into the United States.
Archimedes has never exported the product directly into the United States, Deborah Saw, a spokeswoman for the group said.
It sells the drug to a distributor, which then sells it to hospital pharmacies, primarily in Britain's National Health Service, and also to other wholesalers. Archimedes does not have information on specific end-purchasers or users of its products, she said.
"Novartis aims to keep death-penalty drug out of U.S.," is Tracy Staton's report for Fierce Pharma Manufacturing.
Yet another drugmaker has lodged a protest against capital punishment. Novartis, whose generics unit Sandoz makes a copycat version of sodium thiopental, says it is forbidding its distributors from channeling the drug into the U.S., where it might be used to execute death row prisoners. Meanwhile, 13 U.S. states are having so much difficulty getting the drugs they need for executions, they've asked the feds to step in and help.
This is just the latest in an ongoing tug-of-war over products that are part of lethal-injection drug cocktails, but are much more commonly used in hospitals. Hospira decided to stop making thiopental entirely; it had planned to move thiopental manufacturing to an Italian plant, but government officials there threatened action if Hospira didn't block its use in executions. Saying its distribution arrangements wouldn't allow for that guarantee, Hospira pulled the plug on thiopental instead.
It's not clear whether the Sandoz drug could still make it to the U.S. somehow: In demanding that distributors avoid it, the company said it couldn't guarantee that third parties wouldn't defy its request.
Related posts are in the lethal injection index.
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