Terminally ill patients in Germany could soon be able to apply for poison to end their lives after a landmark ruling.

If approved, decisions are set to be made on a case-by-case basis after a court in Leipzig ruled the state could not deny access to deadly drugs in extreme cases, Pharmazeuitsche Zeitung reports.

Judges felt prescribing the deadly drug Natrium Pentrobarbitone was a fair way of ending pain.

Judges felt prescribing the deadly drug Natrium Pentrobarbitone was a fair way of ending pain

The country's Ministry of Health is examining the proposals, but use of the drug for assisted suicide is likely to require the approval of Parliament.

The proposal would see Germany's Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) deciding if individual patients should be allowed the poison.

A strict set of criteria requires patients to be in an extreme state of distress and suffering from an incurable disease with 'severe bodily suffering and especially strong pain'.

But experts have slammed the ruling saying the definition is vague in some respects, such as what is considered a serious incurable disease in law.

A strict set of criteria requires patients to be in an extreme state of distress and suffering from an incurable disease with 'severe bodily suffering and especially strong pain'

Eugen Brysch from the German Foundation for Patient Protection says: 'This is practically and ethically irresponsible. The Institute has to decide between life and death on undefined legal terms.'

Judges ruled that turning off life support machines is a 'appropriate alternative' and using the drug in Germany is preferable to pointing patients in the direction of assisted suicide abroad.

Germany's current law on narcotics states that drugs such as Natrium pentobarbitone can only be used as a therapy so despite the approval in court, the approval of the drug for suicide may still need to go through parliament.

The Ministry of Health stated that they will carefully examine the court’s reasoning behind the verdict.