Over the last fifteen years, responsible pharmaceutical companies and their investors have worked to protect their products from being sold to prisons for use in capital punishment. Browse the interventions, resolutions and guidance.
The importance of controlling the supply chain to prevent the misuse of medicines in executions has been recognized by corporate responsibility bodies including the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the United Nations Global Compact.
Effective distribution control systems are in line with responsible business practice and can protect healthcare companies from the legal, financial and reputational risks associated with providing drugs for executions. This page gathers the record of that work: the interventions and resolutions filed by institutional investors, commentary on the emerging industry standard, and the CSR guidance that underpins it.
Interventions and resolutions filed by institutional investors in support of distribution controls.
An intervention in support of drug makers’ litigation over the misuse of their medicines in Missouri.
September 2016View New York State Common Retirement FundA resolution filed with Mylan’s board concerning the misuse of the company’s medicines in executions.
November 2014ViewAnalysis of how the industry standard emerged — and why it matters.
On debunking the myth that lethal injection is a humane procedure — and the case for removing medicines from the capital punishment process altogether.
January 2018Read CSR · NewsHow rival companies in a fiercely competitive industry reached rare consensus on protecting their medicines from misuse.
October 2017ReadThe corporate responsibility frameworks that recognize distribution controls as best practice.
The good practice note recording the medicine distribution model now considered an industry standard.
May 2017View Ministry of Foreign AffairsThe guidelines under which pharmaceutical companies have been urged to work with distributors and others to keep medicines out of lethal injections.
April 2016View UKSIFA briefing for investors from the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association.
September 2015View Global CSRGuidance on applying the UN Guiding Principles to the misuse of medicines in capital punishment.
December 2013ViewEach listing links through to the source document or article. For additions to this library, or for support with investor engagement on this issue, please contact us.
We provide pro bono briefings and information to investors and corporate responsibility teams to support their engagement with, and interest in, this issue.