ESTABLISHING HALAL PHARMACEUTICALS INFORMATION SYSTEMS: CONCEPTS, SOURCES AND, POTENTIALS IN THE INDUSTRY
Loading...
Date
2014-09
Authors
AL-SHEIKH WACE, MOHAMMED ALI
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals are manufactured from different sources and origins; chemicals, minerals, plants, animals, biotechnologicals and immunologicals. Muslim consumers around the world subscribe to the halal pharmaceuticals, which is a part of Shariah or islamic law. Halal is an Arabic word for the lawful or permitted, usually used for food but also covers all aspects of life. Halal pharmaceuticals are drugs that contain permissible ingredients and are produced according to the rules and conditions of halal pharmaceuticals. Halal certification and auditing is a quality management system to ensure the halal status of a certain product via the concept “Quality built-in rather than tested for.” Certain standards should be adhered to throughout the supply chain namely sourcing, production, transporting and marketing. These include; raw materials, manufacturing, quality control, packaging, storing, distributing and dispensing. Even though there is enhanced awareness regarding halal pharmaceuticals among the consumers and authorities, hitherto there is no evidence-based reference that provides information on the halal status of pharmaceutical standards, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines to ensure that manufacturers stick to the halal pharmaceuticals. This study aims to highlight pertinent issues related to halal pharmaceuticals by using methods and tools of drug information service. A systematic literature review was made to glean relevant aspects of halal pharmaceuticals (definition, certification, standards, auditing, marketing, education, training, and islamic laws). Drug information service principles were used to analyze issues regarding halal pharmaceuticals, locate information resources, evaluate the data and formulate answers in a suitable
presentation format. This study has introduced and set the guidelines to answer new types of inquiries faced by drug information specialists; questioning the halal status of certain pharmaceuticals and their origin. This study also elucidated islamic law on halal pharmaceuticals and has set the rules to search, locate and report answers from different types of fiqh resources. Information compiled was then used to propose a writing plan for a Halal Pharmacopoeia. Model monographs of the proposed Halal Pharmacopoeia were designed based on critical analysis of the ingredients of selected preparations. A survey using a designed questionnaire and expert group meetings were conducted to propose a primitive model of standard operating procedures (SOPs) of halal pharmaceuticals. The proposed SOPs and pharmacopoeia are potentially useful in the industry by helping companies all over the world to understand the practice of halal pharmaceuticals, how to subscribe to it during production of pharmaceuticals and how to set up their in-house halal committees and teams.
Description
Keywords
PHARMACEUTICALS