Why is the drug for lethal injection in short supply?

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petergreat
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It's reported that sodium thiopental, the first of the three-drug cocktail in lethal injections, has been in short supply across the US and the state of Oklahoma responded a few days ago by using a veterinarian drug instead. Some other states have suspended executions.

Strangely, none of the news reports about this issue discuss in any length why this drug is in short supply. My own suspicion is that this drug has become entirely obsolete, except in the case of lethal injection. Is my suspicion correct?
 
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My second suspicion is that there may be some secret boycott against this drug due to its association with capital punishment.
 
The manufacturer cited manufacturing issues and states that production will resume 1st quarter 2011.

Pentothal (thiopental) Injection
updated
9/29/2010

Manufacturing issue

Hospira is working to resume availability of this product in 1Q2011.

http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/drugshortages/ucm050792.htm
 
petergreat said:
My second suspicion is that there may be some secret boycott against this drug due to its association with capital punishment.

Do you mean that you have a conspiracy theory in mind?

PF Rules said:
Conspiracy Theories/Closed Topics:

Discussion of conspiracy theories ... are not allowed anywhere on the site.
 
petergreat said:
why this drug is in short supply
I think the customer response to the follow-up marketing was poor
 
I'm sure there is very little demand for this drug. Few people have it in their medicine chests and you can't get it over the counter. I suspect they simply waited until there was enough demand to manufacture ir profitably.
 
I would agree Nick, its not a high profit drug. It cost ruffly $90.00 per injection, and the states that use it, must buy X amount of doses, regardless of if they use them, or not, by the expiration date.
 
hypatia said:
by the expiration date.
An expiry date !
What happens after the expiry date - does it become poisonous?
 
From what I read, the drug is a sedative and was widely used in the inducing stage of general anaesthesia, but this role has been largely replaced by the new drug propofol. I suppose that's why it's not in great demand.
 
NobodySpecial said:
An expiry date !
What happens after the expiry date - does it become poisonous?

I don't know much about this particular chemical but degrading of the chemical could render it inactive.
 
SpeedOfDark said:
So antiphon, if you're okay with killing one innocent person(and innocent people have) if Alen Gell would've died that makes you a murder and in return you should get the capital punishment.

And just so you know http://www.langleycreations.com/photo/deathpenalty/exonerated/index.html

If you wish to change the subject, please start a new thread.
 
Evo said:
The manufacturer cited manufacturing issues and states that production will resume 1st quarter 2011.

Pentothal (thiopental) Injection
updated
9/29/2010

Manufacturing issue

Hospira is working to resume availability of this product in 1Q2011.

http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/drugshortages/ucm050792.htm

Does the list of out of stock drugs typically lengthen at the end of the year - or is this length typical?