Doctors and pharmacists are criticizing a U.S. drug company's decision to permanently halt production of an anesthetic used in carrying out the death penalty, saying the drug was still needed for some surgical procedures. Hospira Inc., the sole U.S. maker of the anesthetic thiopental sodium, decided not to resume producing the drug after months of opposition by activists and others over its use in lethal injections, the only or primary execution method in the 35 states that carry out the death penalty. But the medical community on Monday expressed concern that Hospira's decision could put some groups of patients at risk.
