USA - Europe. Novartis and its Sandoz unit have taken steps to stop sodium thiopental ending up in the United States.

Novartis and its Sandoz unit have taken steps to try to stop sodium thiopental ending up in the United States. "Sandoz has also advised all of its subsidiaries with locally approved marketing authorisations for sodium thiopental to not sell the product to distributors or third parties that may be selling it into the U.S.," Novartis and Sandoz said in a statement. "Sandoz and Novartis support only the authorized use of injectable thiopental, which is primarily indicated for the induction of anaesthesia, and do not support the sale of this or any product for use in non-approved treatments," Novartis and Sandoz said in a statement. Sandoz makes injectable thiopental under contract for a third party located in the UK, which sells it directly to Archimedes Pharma. The British group is responsible for the product's marketing and commercial supply under its respective UK marketing authorisation, Novartis and Sandoz said in the statement. Novartis and Sandoz also said Sandoz does not market the drug in the United States or ship or sell directly to any third party selling this product into the United States. Archimedes has never exported the product directly into the United States, Deborah Saw, a spokeswoman for the group said. It sells the drug to a distributor, which then sells it to hospital pharmacies, primarily in Britain's National Health Service, and also to other wholesalers. Archimedes does not have information on specific end-purchasers or users of its products, she said. Sandoz and Novartis also said Sandoz was not aware of, and not able to monitor or control, the supply chain beyond its own direct customers, as it was not responsible or involved in the marketing and commercial activities of third parties.