Lab That Tested U.S. Execution Drug Will No Longer Accept Lethal Injection Samples
A laboratory that was revealed to have been testing the purity of a lethal-injection drug for the U.S. Department of Justice has said it will no longer test the drug if it is intended for executions.
DYNALABS, in St. Louis, Missouri, announced the new policy after Reuters published an investigation that named some of the companies involved in a secret supply chain to make and test a drug ahead of the first federal executions in 17 years.
Two of the testing laboratories identified, including DYNALABS, told Reuters they did not know the samples of the drug, pentobarbital, belonged to the Justice Department, nor that it was intended for executions. DYNALABS says it will ask any pharmacy that sends it pentobarbital to sign an attestation.
“It will be our policy going forward to require a statement from our client indicating their preparation will not be used for execution. Clients that decline to make that declaration will not be allowed to submit their pentobarbital preparations to DYNALABS for testing.” — Michael Pruett and Russell Odegard, DYNALABS co-founders
The Justice Department had relied on test results showing that its pentobarbital was potent and uncontaminated as it argued in court that it was taking care not to breach a constitutional ban on “cruel and unusual punishments.” The department had hired a compounding pharmacy to make the pentobarbital, keeping the identity of the pharmacy and other contractors secret.
Two other laboratories, ARL Bio Pharma Inc in Oklahoma City and Eagle Analytical Services Inc in Houston, had also confirmed they produced test results cited by the Justice Department in court filings.