SC advances bill to shield sellers of execution drugs

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina lawmakers have advanced a bill to protect the identities of pharmaceutical companies in the hope that providers will resume selling execution drugs to the state.

A Senate subcommittee on Tuesday voted unanimously to advance legislation that would officially add drug companies to the state’s execution team and require that their identities be kept secret. The proposal would also exempt the companies from state health and purchasing rules.

South Carolina has run out of one of its three lethal injection drugs, the anesthetic pentobarbital, and cannot find anyone willing to sell more. Corrections Director Bryan Stirling has said if their names were shielded from the public, like the names of individuals involved in carrying out executions already are, pharmaceutical companies might be willing to start selling the drugs again.

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Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP