The largest pharmaceutical company in the world, Pfizer, recently reported that they will no longer distribute or be part of the making of lethal injections for executions in the U.S. The company states in a press release that "Pfizer makes its products solely to enhance and save the lives of the patients we serve." Pfizer no longer wants to be recognized as a company who supplies drugs to correctional facilities. The pharmaceutical company said seven of its drugs (which can be used as a lethal injection) would only be sold to purchasers on condition that they would not resell them to correctional institutions. Pfizer said it offered the products because they saved or improved lives, and marketed them solely for use as indicated in the product labeling. Pfizer would only make those drugs available to medical professionals and patients who rely on them on a daily basis.

Human right groups have campaigned against using medicine for the purposed of capital punishment. Pfizer isn't the first company to stop and ban the making of lethal injections, so far 20 pharmaceutical companies have stopped lethal injection production. On that list is the second biggest pharmaceutical company, Novartis, which is held in Europe and also banned its production of capital punishment drugs in the US in 2010. Like many of these companies, they banned the drug distribution for lethal injections for moral and business reasons.

Since the stop of lethal injections being developed, many states have been smuggling underground drugs to replace the manufactured lethal injections, having airports and federal officials on alert. States with the death penalty have delayed on executions and will later have to use older alternatives of punishments due to a low supply of lethal injections.

Since many people have their opinions on using lethal injections for criminals, I would like to input my two cents of my opinion on this situation. I see it morally and ethically wrong to use any sort of deadly punishment on any human being. Yes, many have committed horrifying crimes, but I believe being locked up in a jail cell for life is a much better alternative of a punishment, than giving someone death by using drugs or electrocution. In a business opinion, pharmaceuticals don't want to be looked at as companies that helps save lives, yet supply drugs to kill others. It's a heavy argument that many have different views on, however, I side with the pharmaceutical companies that ban their drugs to be used as capital punishment.