Pfizer Blocks Drugs From Being Used in Executions

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Pfizer announced Friday that it has taken measures to keep its drugs from being used in lethal injection executions.

The move by the pharmaceutical giant, reported by the New York Times, follows similar maneuvers by other drug manufacturers in the U.S. and Europe.

“Pfizer makes its products to enhance and save the lives of the patients we serve,” the company said in a statement, and “strongly objects to the use of its products as lethal injections for capital punishment.”

The availability of drugs for lethal injection executions has dwindled in recent years, creating complications for the U.S. states that allow the practice. Some states have considered methods like firing squads as an alternative.

[NYT]

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Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com