Lundbeck acts to stop misuse of drug in executions (Reuters)

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Danish pharmaceutical group Lundbeck on Friday said it was changing the distribution of its epilepsy drug Nembutal to avoid the drug being used in executions in U.S. prisons.

The company has been criticized for the use of Nembutal in U.S. executions, but has said it would not pull the drug from the market as it would compromise treatment options for patients using the drug.

"After much consideration, we have determined that a restricted distribution system is the most meaningful means through which we can restrict the misuse of Nembutal," chief executive Ulf Wiinberg said in a statement.

"While the company has never sold the product directly to prisons and therefore can't make guarantees, we are confident that our new distribution program will play a substantial role in restricting prisons' access to Nembutal for misuse as part of lethal injection," Wiinberg said.

Lundbeck said in a statement that Nembutal would be supplied only through a specialty pharmacy program that would deny distribution of the product to prisons in U.S. states.

Distributors had been informed of the plan in late June, it said.

"The new distribution program ensures that hospitals and treatment centers will continue to have access to Nembutal for therapeutic purposes," Lundbeck said in the statement.

The company would review all Nembutal orders before providing clearance for shipping the product, and deny orders from prisons located in states actively carrying out death penalty sentences, it said.

Nembutal, generically known as pentobarbital, has been increasingly used in lethal injections in the United States, following the withdrawal of another medicine.

Before receiving Nembutal, distributors would have to sign a form stating it will not redistribute the product without written authorization from Lundbeck, it said.