Sodium thiopental is a sedative legally required for US lethal injections.
In a statement, Novartis and Sandoz have said Sandoz has advised all its subsidiaries with locally approved marketing authorizations for sodium thiopental to stop selling it to distributors or third parties that may be selling it to the US, Reuters.com reported.
Sandoz and Novartis said they support only the authorized use of injectable thiopental for inducing anesthesia, and that Sandoz does not market the drug in the US or ship or sell directly to any third party selling it into the US.
Novartis and Sandoz stated that Sandoz was unaware of and unable to monitor or control, the supply chain beyond its direct customers.
Sandoz was not responsible or involved in third party commercial and marketing activities of the aesthetic, reported the news agency.