Time to legalise assisted dying?: Use of Baxter products in figure for physician assisted suicide was inappropriate

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7520.842-c

BMJ 2005;331:842 (8 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7520.842-c

Letter

Time to legalise assisted dying?

Use of Baxter products in figure for physician assisted suicide was inappropriate

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—I regret the use of a figure that includes oneof Baxter Healthcare's products in kits available to Belgiangeneral practitioners who want to help patients die at home,as shown in the article by Branthwaite on changing the law oneuthanasia and physician assisted suicide.¹

For more than 70 years Baxter has been dedicated to saving people'slives. We offer products and services that help to treat peoplewith some of the most challenging medical conditions, includingcancer, haemophilia, immune deficiencies, infectious diseases,kidney disease, and trauma. Using our products to end livescontradicts everything we are in business to do: provide lifesavingtreatments.

We market products for important and legitimate medical uses.These products have been used safely and effectively for decades.We do not control how our products are applied, and they arewidely used and available through many sources, not just throughus. Although . . . [Full text of this article]

Mark Baxter, medical director

Baxter Healthcare, Newbury, Berkshire RG20 7QW