Fifteen different medicines appear across the lethal injection protocols of US states and the federal government. Every one of these medicines was developed to treat patients, not to end lives in executions.
There are currently 15 medicines listed in US state and federal lethal injection protocols. These are:
Hover or tap a state to see its current protocol.
Federal Government: the death penalty also applies at the federal level, with a one-drug pentobarbital protocol.
Search for a state, or filter to the states whose protocol names a specific medicine — the fastest way to check whether a product is exposed.
Showing 28 of 28 jurisdictions
Midazolam, Rocuronium Bromide, Potassium Chloride (3 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Sodium Thiopental (1 drug protocol)
Midazolam, Vecuronium Bromide, Potassium Chloride (3 drug protocol)
Etomidate, Rocuronium Bromide, Potassium Acetate (3 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Sodium Thiopental, Pancuronium Bromide, Potassium Chloride (3 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (or) Sodium Thiopental (1 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Midazolam, Hydromorphone (2 drug protocol)
Sodium Thiopental (or) Pentobarbital (or) Midazolam, Pancuronium Bromide (or) Vecuronium Bromide (or) Rocuronium Bromide, and Potassium Chloride (3 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Sodium Thiopental (or) Pentobarbital, Rocuronium Bromide (or) Pancuronium Bromide (2 drug protocol)
Fentanyl, Diazepam, Cisatracurium Besylate, Potassium Chloride (4 drug protocol)
Fentanyl (or) Alfentanil, Ketamine, Potassium Chloride (or) Potassium Acetate (3 drug protocol)
Fentanyl (or) Alfentanil, Ketamine, Cisatracurium Besylate, Potassium Chloride (or) Potassium Acetate (4 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (or) Sodium Thiopental (1 drug protocol)
Midazolam, Vecuronium Bromide (or) Rocuronium Bromide (or) Pancuronium Bromide, Potassium Chloride (3 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (or) Sodium Thiopental (1 drug protocol)
Midazolam, Vecuronium Bromide, Potassium Chloride (3 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Sodium Thiopental (or) Pentobarbital, Pancuronium Bromide, Potassium Chloride (3 drug protocol)
Sodium Thiopental (or) Pentobarbital, Pancuronium Bromide (2 drug protocol)
Sodium Thiopental (or) Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Sodium Thiopental, Pancuronium Bromide, Potassium Chloride (3 drug protocol)
Pentobarbital (1 drug protocol)
Protocols describe the medicines each jurisdiction is authorized to use rather than the method used in any single execution. Each number marks one drug in the protocol; where a number lists alternatives, “or” indicates a permitted substitution for that drug only. For full state profiles, secrecy provisions and risk ratings, see the State-by-State Risk Index.
We help manufacturers, wholesalers and compounders understand and reduce the risk of their products being diverted into lethal injections.