A 51-year-old woman whose death was allegedly assisted by two doctors was administered with the same drugs used by overseas organizations that help patients with intractable diseases to commit suicide, according to the police.
The Kyoto prefectural police suspect the drug was administered via a gastric tube, which was used to feed the victim as she was unable to swallow. The police are investigating how the suspects obtained the drug.
According to the police, a postmortem revealed that there was a large amount of a sedative in her stomach and the cause of death was recorded as drug poisoning.
Sedatives have been used to treat insomnia and epilepsy for decades in Japan, according to medical experts. However, because of the high dependence and toxicity of the sedative identified in this case, other drugs have been used to treat insomnia in recent years.
The sedative is designated as a psychotropic drug in Japan and is not on the market, but the drug is available in Switzerland, where assisted suicide for patients with intractable diseases is legal.
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