Drug shortages take a surprising twist

As ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom notes in his latest blog post for Medical Progress Today, In the past year, much has been written about the shortage of critical generic drugs in this country. Now, though, there is a shortage of a very different kind of drug. Sodium thiopental, one of the three drugs typically used in lethal injections, which the U.S. purchases almost exclusively from European manufacturers, is no longer being sold. In protest of the death penalty, these manufacturers are refusing to sell any of these three drugs to the U.S. As a result, we are now forced to rely on companies in other countries not only for drugs to save lives, but also for drugs to end lives.

Read Dr. Bloom s blog post in its entirety for his take on the situation.