Pfizer bars the use of its drugs in lethal injections

The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced Friday that it has imposed sweeping controls on the distribution of its products to ensure that none are used in lethal injections, a step that closes off the last remaining open-market source of drugs used in executions. “With Pfizer’s announcement, all FDA-approved manufacturers of any potential execution drug have now blocked their sale for this purpose,” said Maya Foa, who tracks drug companies for Reprieve, a human rights advocacy group in London. A few states have adopted the electric chair, firing squad or the gas chamber as an alternative if lethal drugs are not available.