Halal-based capsule for pharmaceutical products : a master list, availability and product utilization review

Abstract

According to a global statistic on gelatine production, 46% represented by porcine-derived gelatine, while the other 29% and 23% are represented by bovine hide and bone, respectively. Both porcine and bovine have issues related to halal status. Furthermore, gelatine is a common ingredient in pharmaceutical industry, especially in capsule shell production. Thus, the study aims to produce a master list which consists of all pharmaceutical products in capsule dosage available in Malaysia, and to evaluate their availability and utilization in community pharmacy and hospital. Based on the master list, the highest capsule source is bovine (61.5%), followed by vegetable (33.5%), hypromellose (4.1%), fish (0.6%), plant origin (0.3%) and porcine (0.03%). In term of halal certification code, H4 has the highest percentage (35.1%), followed by H1 (28.1%), and H3 (25.3%). In community pharmacy, products with bovine capsule shell have the highest availability (79.8%). However, products with vegetable capsule shell (58.3%) represent the highest average monthly utilization. The effect of master list as an intervention in community pharmacy is statistically insignificant. Nevertheless, there are still changes could be observed on the pre and post-test. The study in hospitals shows the products with bovine capsule shell and H4 code have the highest availability and utilization. The comparison between hospitals shows non-statistically significant difference. Based on the study, it could be observed that the majority of capsule shell used in pharmaceutical products registered in Malaysia have halal certification. Furthermore, the demand of halal-certified capsule pharmaceutical products is high. Thus, the concern on the halal status of pharmaceutical products could be reduced. The master list could be a prototype in educating healthcare practitioners on halal pharmaceutical.