propofol

Propofol Manufacturer Will Not Sell Drug for Executions

Julie Bierach — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:55:08 +0000

A manufacturer of the anesthetic blamed for Michael Jackson's overdose death says it won't allow the drug to be sold for use in executions.

Drug maker Fresenius Kabi USA is one of two domestic suppliers of propofol, which has been singled out as a lethal injection alternative amid a drug shortage that's forced several states to revise their execution protocols. Missouri this year said it would become the first state to use propofol as an execution drug.

Mo. Supreme Court will wait to set execution dates for six inmates

Rachel Lippmann and Maria Altman — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 19:13:35 +0000

Updated 6:03 p.m. with reaction

The Missouri Supreme Court will not set execution dates for six death row inmates until a court case over the state's new execution protocol is resolved.

Missouri's new execution drug: no silver bullet

Joseph Leahy — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:55:54 +0000

Missouri is the first state in the nation to change its protocol for executing prisoners from a three-drug cocktail to the single drug Propofol. The switch is due to a shortage of a key drug, which has stalled lethal injections across the country.

Other states may eventually follow Missouri’s lead, but as St. Louis Public Radio’s Joseph Leahy reports, the drug known recently for killing pop star Michael Jackson is no silver bullet either.

"I just thought it was a good idea"

21 Mo. death-row inmates sue over new execution drug

Joseph Leahy — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:32:28 +0000

21 death-row prisoners are suing the director of Missouri’s Corrections Department over its new lethal injection drug.

Director George Lombardi announced last month that Missouri would be the first in the nation to replace its three-drug protocol in favor of using the anesthetic Propofol for capital punishment.

Missouri opts for untested drug for executions

The Associated Press, St. Louis Public Radio, Joseph Leahy and KRCU — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:33:58 +0000

Updated at 5:50 a.m. Friday with additional reporting. Reporting from KRCU's Jacob McCleland was used in this story.

The anesthetic that caused the overdose death of pop star Michael Jackson is now the drug for executions in Missouri.

The Missouri Department of Corrections is switching from its longstanding three-drug method to a single drug, propofol, which has never been used in an execution in the U.S. That's causing a stir among critics lijke Death Penalty Information Center director Richard Dieter.