Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is halting the execution of a convicted killer, citing concerns about the use of propofol as an execution drug.
The decision was announced today. Nixon also ordered the Missouri Department of Corrections to come up with a different way to perform lethal injections that does not include propofol.
Allen Nicklasson's execution, scheduled for October 23, had been set to be the country's first-ever using propofol.
Propofol is the leading anesthetic used in America's hospitals in clinics. The European Union has threatened to limit the export of propofol if it was used in a US execution.
Nearly 90 per cent of the nation's propofol comes from Europe.
The leading propofol maker, Fresenius Kabi, and anesthesiologists had warned of a possible propofol shortage that could impact millions of Americans.
