Call for vegetarian pills

Tuesday February 28th, 2012

Drug manufacturers need to develop vegetarian versions of many pills, a doctor said today.

Thousands of patients with vegetarian or other dietary beliefs are unwittingly taking animal products in their medication, according to urologist Stephen Payne, of Manchester Royal Infirmary, UK.

Mr Payne points out that one of the most common substances in pills is gelatin, used as a coating agent but also to thicken liquid medicines.

Writing in the Postgraduate Medical Journal, he reports on a survey of some 500 patients in Manchester.

This found 200 who were not supposed to eat animal products.

Most of these said they would prefer not to take medicines that contain animal products - but ten per cent said it did not matter. And 43 per cent said they would not take a pill or drug if they knew it contained animal products.

The study found that very few of the patients would risk asking the doctor if medicines breached their dietary rules.

Warning of the ethical implications, Mr Payne writes: "We already know that doctors are fairly ignorant about the issue of excipients in medication."

Postgraduate Medical Journal February 28 2012;doi 10.1136/postgradmedj-2011-130306

Tags: General Health | Pharmaceuticals | UK News

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