Clipping Board » Medical Affairs and Administration ─ Medical system, pharmaceuticals, and medical community-related reports
2008/3/27 7:35:50 PM [Reported by Chairman Gao Guoqing and Life & Finance Editor-in-Chief Cai Xiu'e, Taipei]
Most people who have taken medication or health supplement capsules their entire lives may not realize that the majority of commercially available capsules are actually "non-vegetarian"!? Consumers looking for vegetarian capsule products might find it surprisingly difficult, so what exactly are the raw materials for capsules? Are there vegetarian capsules available in Taiwan? The following content will address these questions.
Many are unaware that most capsules are non-vegetarian. Some vegetarians, upon discovering this, open the capsules and consume only the powder inside, discarding the capsule shell. However, this is actually an incorrect practice. The reason medications or health supplements are formulated as capsules rather than other dosage forms is based on specific design considerations. The primary concern is ensuring the product's safety and efficacy, followed by factors such as ease of swallowing, masking unpleasant tastes, and reducing irritation to the esophagus—especially for extended-release medications taken once or twice daily.
Extended-release medications must maintain a stable drug concentration in the bloodstream over an extended period to achieve their intended effect. This requires precise control over the drug's release timing. If the powder is consumed directly, it can disrupt the drug's absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion in the body, preventing it from achieving its intended therapeutic effect. In severe cases, unexpected adverse reactions may even occur. Thus, opening capsules and consuming only the powder poses a risk to drug safety.
### What Are Empty Capsules Made Of?
Hard empty capsules are widely used as packaging materials for pharmaceuticals and health supplements, falling into two main categories: animal-based and plant-based. Currently, the majority of empty capsules on the market are animal-based, primarily made from gelatin (also known as "Gelatin" or "Jell-O"). Gelatin is derived from animal bones or connective tissues, with common sources including cow bones, cowhide, and pigskin. It appears as a light-yellow, protein-rich substance composed mainly of amino acids. Empty capsules are manufactured by mixing gelatin with a specific ratio of purified water. Gelatin is widely used in food (especially desserts), pharmaceuticals, and even other industrial applications.
"Plant-based capsules," also known as "vegetarian capsules," are primarily made from HPMC (Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose) or cornstarch worldwide. However, due to concerns about allergens, cornstarch is gradually being phased out in European and American markets. The most common primary ingredient is HPMC, derived from the cellulose of pine trees or cotton. Its main component is polysaccharides, and it is recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) ingredient. HPMC is listed in the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), European Pharmacopoeia (EP), and Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP), making it a widely used raw material in pharmaceuticals, food, and cosmetics. There is a misconception online that vegetarian capsules are made from glutinous rice, but this is incorrect.
### Concerns About Animal-Based Capsules
The primary concern with animal-derived materials lies in zoonotic diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease and mad cow disease, which pose risks to human health. If food or pharmaceutical ingredients are sourced from animals, could human health be affected during disease outbreaks? Therefore, manufacturers must ensure that raw materials are sourced from non-epidemic regions—for example, Brazil is globally recognized as a disease-free source. More importantly, gelatin extracted from non-infectious parts, such as cowhide instead of bones, can further minimize the risk of transmission.The Demand for Vegetarian Capsules
In Taiwan, vegetarian capsules are relatively scarce in the market. This is primarily due to the general lack of awareness among consumers about hard-shell capsules, coupled with the significantly higher cost of vegetarian capsules compared to animal-based ones. As a result, pharmaceutical companies and health supplement manufacturers are often reluctant to adopt vegetarian capsules as packaging materials. For pharmaceutical companies, drug approval is subject to stringent regulations, requiring extensive experimental evidence. The application process for a single drug license is lengthy and costly. Unless it's a new drug, altering the packaging material for an existing drug is rarely cost-effective. Consequently, the vast majority of medicines on the market are non-vegetarian. In contrast, in Europe and the U.S., vegetarianism has gradually become a dietary trend in developed countries, prompting manufacturers to prioritize vegetarian capsules as their packaging material of choice.
In Taiwan, over 2 million people follow a vegetarian diet due to religious reasons. With the rise in living standards, consumers are increasingly health-conscious in their dietary choices. Health-focused, organic, and natural products have proliferated, leading consumers to pay closer attention to ingredients, origins, and packaging materials. However, awareness about whether the packaging of medicines or health supplements is vegetarian-friendly has only begun to emerge in the past year or two.
Fewer Than Ten Vegetarian Capsule Manufacturers Worldwide
Due to the high complexity of producing vegetarian capsules, there are no more than ten manufacturers globally with the capability and technology to produce them. As a result, the cost of imported vegetarian capsules is three to four times higher than that of animal-based capsules. Given cost considerations, pharmaceutical and biotech companies rarely use vegetarian capsules for their medicines or health supplements. Consumers must pay special attention to find products that use vegetarian capsules.
...(Excerpt)...
Source: http://www. cmn. com. tw/ shownews. asp? news_id=10716
Medicating for Life, Unaware Capsules are Non-Veg!?
Most people who have taken medication or health supplement capsules their entire lives may not realize that the majority of commercially available capsules are actually "non-vegetarian"!? Consumers looking for vegetarian capsule products might find it surprisingly difficult, so what exactly are the raw materials for capsules? Are there vegetarian capsules available in Taiwan? The following content will address these questions.
Many are unaware that most capsules are non-vegetarian. Some vegetarians, upon discovering this, open the capsules and consume only the powder inside, discarding the capsule shell. However, this is actually an incorrect practice. The reason medications or health supplements are formulated as capsules rather than other dosage forms is based on specific design considerations. The primary concern is ensuring the product's safety and efficacy, followed by factors such as ease of swallowing, masking unpleasant tastes, and reducing irritation to the esophagus—especially for extended-release medications taken once or twice daily.
Extended-release medications must maintain a stable drug concentration in the bloodstream over an extended period to achieve their intended effect. This requires precise control over the drug's release timing. If the powder is consumed directly, it can disrupt the drug's absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion in the body, preventing it from achieving its intended therapeutic effect. In severe cases, unexpected adverse reactions may even occur. Thus, opening capsules and consuming only the powder poses a risk to drug safety.
### What Are Empty Capsules Made Of?
Hard empty capsules are widely used as packaging materials for pharmaceuticals and health supplements, falling into two main categories: animal-based and plant-based. Currently, the majority of empty capsules on the market are animal-based, primarily made from gelatin (also known as "Gelatin" or "Jell-O"). Gelatin is derived from animal bones or connective tissues, with common sources including cow bones, cowhide, and pigskin. It appears as a light-yellow, protein-rich substance composed mainly of amino acids. Empty capsules are manufactured by mixing gelatin with a specific ratio of purified water. Gelatin is widely used in food (especially desserts), pharmaceuticals, and even other industrial applications.
"Plant-based capsules," also known as "vegetarian capsules," are primarily made from HPMC (Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose) or cornstarch worldwide. However, due to concerns about allergens, cornstarch is gradually being phased out in European and American markets. The most common primary ingredient is HPMC, derived from the cellulose of pine trees or cotton. Its main component is polysaccharides, and it is recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) ingredient. HPMC is listed in the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), European Pharmacopoeia (EP), and Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP), making it a widely used raw material in pharmaceuticals, food, and cosmetics. There is a misconception online that vegetarian capsules are made from glutinous rice, but this is incorrect.
### Concerns About Animal-Based Capsules
The primary concern with animal-derived materials lies in zoonotic diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease and mad cow disease, which pose risks to human health. If food or pharmaceutical ingredients are sourced from animals, could human health be affected during disease outbreaks? Therefore, manufacturers must ensure that raw materials are sourced from non-epidemic regions—for example, Brazil is globally recognized as a disease-free source. More importantly, gelatin extracted from non-infectious parts, such as cowhide instead of bones, can further minimize the risk of transmission.The Demand for Vegetarian Capsules
In Taiwan, vegetarian capsules are relatively scarce in the market. This is primarily due to the general lack of awareness among consumers about hard-shell capsules, coupled with the significantly higher cost of vegetarian capsules compared to animal-based ones. As a result, pharmaceutical companies and health supplement manufacturers are often reluctant to adopt vegetarian capsules as packaging materials. For pharmaceutical companies, drug approval is subject to stringent regulations, requiring extensive experimental evidence. The application process for a single drug license is lengthy and costly. Unless it's a new drug, altering the packaging material for an existing drug is rarely cost-effective. Consequently, the vast majority of medicines on the market are non-vegetarian. In contrast, in Europe and the U.S., vegetarianism has gradually become a dietary trend in developed countries, prompting manufacturers to prioritize vegetarian capsules as their packaging material of choice.
In Taiwan, over 2 million people follow a vegetarian diet due to religious reasons. With the rise in living standards, consumers are increasingly health-conscious in their dietary choices. Health-focused, organic, and natural products have proliferated, leading consumers to pay closer attention to ingredients, origins, and packaging materials. However, awareness about whether the packaging of medicines or health supplements is vegetarian-friendly has only begun to emerge in the past year or two.
Fewer Than Ten Vegetarian Capsule Manufacturers Worldwide
Due to the high complexity of producing vegetarian capsules, there are no more than ten manufacturers globally with the capability and technology to produce them. As a result, the cost of imported vegetarian capsules is three to four times higher than that of animal-based capsules. Given cost considerations, pharmaceutical and biotech companies rarely use vegetarian capsules for their medicines or health supplements. Consumers must pay special attention to find products that use vegetarian capsules.
...(Excerpt)...
Source: http://www. cmn. com. tw/ shownews. asp? news_id=10716