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november-december. 2019 | @Halal
Halal Health
Th e state of
halal pharma
in Malaysia
Dr Zhari Ismail, authority on halal pharmaceuticals,
tells the strength of establishing halal standard and
guideline for our medication
C
OULD you give us an overview
on the state of halal pharma-
ceuticals and cosmetics in
Malaysia? What is the public
perception towards it, and how
much of an advantage is it to
have halal-certifi ed pharmaceuticals and
cosmetics?
As an overview on the state of halal phar-
maceuticals and cosmetics in Malaysia in
terms of statements from professional bodies,
the Ministry and Industry is cautiously
welcoming and looking forward to further
developments, especially related to the devel-
opment and application of halal standards.
Ultimately the consumer or patient will
decide on the type of products offered to
them that is compatible to their religious
and health needs. The more they are provided
information on halal medicines, the better is
their confi dence in making a decision. The
easy access to social media and the internet
have paved the way to the type of perception a
particular product is projected and compared
to generic or similar products.
We know that there has been a Malaysian
Standard for halal pharmaceuticals, the
MS2424:2012. How involved were you in
the development of the standard, and
what is the current development in terms
of updating the standard?
The world fi rst halal pharmaceutical standard
the Malaysian MS 2424:2012 Halal Pharma-
ceutical Guidelines was launched in 2012 and
was well received. Being the chairman, it took
the committee more than two years to for-
mulate the document, having the vital input
from the Malaysian regulatory body recom-
mending the internationally recognised PICS
(Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperative
Scheme) format suited for pharmaceutical
products.
Halal elements were embedded into the
document and a revision was established
recently and renamed MS2424:2019 Halal
Pharmaceutical Requirements, with further
improvements and addition of halal vaccine
standard. We anticipate further additions
to include pharmaceutical intoxicants and
biopharmaceuticals to cater and prepare to
the need and demand of relevant standards.
From the extent of my knowledge,
Malaysia is the fi rst to set a standard and
have pharmaceuticals and cosmetics be
halal-certifi ed. In your opinion, how far
along is Malaysia in terms of leading the
global halal industry specifi cally in halal
pharmaceuticals?
Recently we [the Malaysian Halal Standard
committee] were tasked to establish and
lead the TC (Technical Committee) on Halal
Pharmaceutical in Istanbul, Turkey. This com-
mittee is incorporated under the SMIIC/OIC
(Standards and Metrology Institute of Islamic
Countries under the auspices of the Organisa-
tion of Islamic Countries). It is an honour and
recognition for Malaysian Standards and this
opens the way for Malaysia to lead the global
halal industry for pharmaceuticals.
Do you think that because of the halal certi-
fi cation, the Muslim public would be more
cautious and doubtful of pharmaceuticals
that are not halal-certifi ed?
A positive attitude is that we should not take
things lightly in matters related to our health
& consumer needs. This attitude of learning
and sharing approach towards medicine
taking and shared responsibility with the
health professionals is the future in health-
care. In the United Kingdom since 2002, the
concept of concordance-or shared decision
making was promoted to help patients to
get the most from their medicines that was
established under the Medicines Partnership
Programme.
And as an extension to that question: What
would be your opinion on medications that
actually have non-halal ingredients to be
consumed by Muslims, if it is the only one
that can treat a particular disease?
Under this category of medicines, the Min-
istry of Health have specifi c guidelines on
medicine taking of non-halal ingredients
and this is widely available for use by all
concerned.
dr Zhari was the chairman
for the committee that
formulated the ms2424,
the standard for halal
pharmaceuticals.
In fi ve to 10 year’s time, do you see MS2424
to be the medium that can propel Malaysia
into becoming the global leader in halal
pharmaceuticals?
Malaysia’s efforts have been recog-
nised and now being entrusted the
important task in chairing the TC on Halal
Pharmaceutical Issues within SMIIC/OIC.
The MS2424:2019 is not a standalone set of
documents, but must be supported by refer-
ence documents like pharmacopoeia and
formularies that are shariah compliant. The
agenda is long and sincere continuous eff ort
have to be in place especially in engaging
the multinational players to facilitate and
activate their role to the needs of the
Ummah.