A worldwide shortage of a drug used in lethal-injection procedures could jeopardize executions. Hospira, the sole U.S. manufacturer of thiopental sodium, is experiencing a ‘manufacturing issue’ and do not expect “the product to be available again (until) the third quarter”.
The states involved include Arizona & Ohio, who recently were forced to consider suspending sentences due to a lack of proper supply of the drug. Apparently, the drugs are not ordered until the sentence is handed down & the states do not carry a stockpile of the drug.
In Arizona, protocol calls for three drugs injected intravenously. Thiopental, the first, renders the condemned person unconscious and theoretically impervious to the other two drugs. The second, pancuronium bromide, paralyzes the defendant so that witnesses cannot see any signs of twitching or respiratory distress that could occur from barbiturate overdose. The third drug, potassium chloride, stops the heart.
Arizona is next scheduled to hear a death penalty case later this month. It is not known what alternatives exists should a guilty verdict come down with a death sentence.
