Missouri sending back some propofol to distributor

ST. LOUIS (AP) - The Missouri Department of Corrections is sending back a shipment of propofol to the distributor, 11 months after the company's urgent request for return of the anesthetic.

Missouri plans to become the first state to use propofol in an execution on Oct. 23. The department said in a news release Wednesday that it has remaining inventory. It isn't clear if enough exists for additional executions.

The propofol supplied by Morris & Dickson of Shreveport, La., was made by Fresenius Kabi of Germany. Morris & Dickson sent a letter to the corrections department on Nov. 2, saying the sale was a mistake.

Fresenius Kabi prohibits distribution to prisons because the anti-death penalty European Union could limit export of any drug used in an execution, potentially creating a shortage of the anesthetic.