New Drug for Death Penalty

Oklahoma State is under fire this morning for using a new drug to euthanize an inmate awaiting the death penalty. The new drug used was Pentobarbital which is more commonly used to euthanize pets. Now the state is receiving a bad rep as the public feels that this may have been a little inhumane to use.

The common drug used in this case is manufactured by Hospira, Inc. (NYSE:HSP) and currently has a market shortage. Hospira confirmed that they will have a new batch ready as early as next year, but until then, this may be the only solution. Some states still continue to use the death penalty, while others have banned it completely.