LONDON |
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Friday it would ban the export to the United States of three drugs used to carry out lethal injections and called on other European Union countries to follow suit.
The British government said it was putting additional export controls on the export of pancuronium bromide, potassium chloride and sodium pentobarbital.
Last year, the London-based human rights group Reprieve sued the British government to stop it from exporting another drug, sodium thiopental, a sedative legally required for U.S. lethal injections, which was in short supply in the United States.
That led to Britain, which opposes the death penalty, imposing an emergency export ban on the drug.
"We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and are clear that British drugs should not be used to carry out lethal injections," Business Secretary Vince Cable said in a statement.
"That is why we introduced a control on sodium thiopental last year - the first of its kind in the world. And it is also why we are now controlling the export of the other drugs used in lethal injections in the U.S."
In December, the Death Penalty Information Center said the United States had executed far fewer people in 2010 than in previous years, partly because of a shortage of sodium thiopental.
The Department for Business said it had consulted the British suppliers of the drugs and other interested parties and concluded legitimate medical trade would not be affected.
It said measures to ban exports of the drugs would go before parliament in the next few days and would take effect the following day.
Cable said he was urging other European countries to follow Britain's lead in order for the control to be effective.
"Since the U.S. executing states are now turning to a Danish company, Lundbeck, to kill people, we must hope that the UK can persuade our EU partners to take a similar line," Reprieve Director Clive Stafford Smith said in a statement.
In February, drugs company Novartis said it had taken steps to prevent a generic version of sodium thiopental reaching the United States.
Lethal injection chamber at , California.
Britain  announced Thursday  that it will ban the export to the US of three pharmaceutical drugs used for  in executions under the death penalty.

The three drugs are ,  and . 

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable said the order will be formalized within the next few days. 

Cable issued a statement saying, "We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and are clear that British drugs should not be used to carry out lethal injections. That is why we introduced a control on  last year—the first of its kind in the world. And it is also why we are now controlling the export of the other drugs used in lethal injections in the US."

Cable said he was requesting all   countries  in the EU to do the same in order to effectively control the export of these drugs.

Britain blocked the export  of  sodium thiopental in November after the human rights group  sued the government to stop its exportation to the US. Sodium thiopental had been sold to the  in two states, Georgia and Arizona, by a small wholesaler in London. The drug is legally used for lethal injections in the US but is in short supply there.

Pentobarbital, a sedative, is used to control continuous , as well as to treat a variety of other medical conditions. After sodium thiopental became scarce in the US late last year,  the US began to use pentobarbital as a substitute.

The  said in December that executions in the US had declined in  2010 compared to previous years, partly as a result of a sodium thiopental shortage.

The UK government said in a press release: "Having consulted UK suppliers of these drugs and other interested parties, the Government is satisfied that legitimate medical trade will not be hampered by the decision."