Insulin in medicines

This resource can help you understand how insulin is used in medicines, the concerns around its use in medicines for the Muslim community, and whether its use in medicines is halāl (permissible) or harām (prohibited) in Islam. 

This resource is for the Muslim community (including patients, carers, parents and members of the public). All healthcare professionals (HCPs), their teams and anyone involved in delivering care and support (across all care settings) to Muslim individuals, may also find it useful. It can be used to support person-centred and informed decision-making around taking medicines that align with an individual’s Islamic values and beliefs. 

Table Of Contents
  1. Insulin
  2. How insulin is used in medicines
  3. Why this is important 
  4. Checking medicine information
  5. Is all insulin halāl or harām?
  6. Summary
  7. References and further reading

Insulin

Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas that helps to keep blood sugar at a healthy level by moving glucose (sugar) from the blood into the body’s cells for energy or storage.1

How insulin is used in medicines

There are several medical conditions that require a person to take insulin. One example is type 1 diabetes mellitus, a chronic disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin1, so patients must take insulin as a medicine to survive. Another example is type 2 diabetes where the body’s cells become resistant to insulin, and over time, in some cases, the pancreas may produce less insulin. As a result, about one in four people with type 2 diabetes eventually need to take insulin. 2 These conditions therefore require insulin replacement as the body is not producing it naturally.

There are three main types of insulin that are used in medicines:

Recombinant human insulin and human insulin analogues

1. Recombinant human insulin

Human insulin can be produced synthetically in a lab via a method called recombinant DNA technology. The human gene coded for insulin is inserted in the DNA of bacteria. The bacteria then produces an abundance of recombinant human insulin that is identical to human insulin. Recombinant human insulin is then harvested and purified for medicinal use.3 4

2. Human insulin analogues

Human insulin analogues are made in the same way as recombinant human insulin with the key difference being that specific parts of the gene are intentionally altered before it is inserted into the bacteria; this is so the insulin can be used for different needs.

A list of common insulin analogues include (names like these are often found in the product information of the relevant medicines):

Short acting insulin: works quickly to control the rise in blood sugar after meals 5 e.g.:

  • insulin lispro
  • insulin aspart 6

Long acting insulin: works throughout the day to keep blood sugar steady, even between meals.5 e.g.:

  • insulin glargine
  • insulin determir
  • insulin degludec6

Porcine insulin

3. Porcine Insulin
The use of porcine insulin in medicine is due to its similar structure and function to human insulin. During the slaughter process in the meat industry, crude porcine insulin is collected and extracted from the pancreatic glands of pigs. The insulin is then purified, formulated into medicinal formulations (injectable solutions) and finally undergoes quality control to ensure it is safe and suitable for medicinal use.7
Porcine insulin is no longer commonly used in comparison to recombinant human insulin and human insulin analogues, and its availability is being further reduced.8 Click the link if you would like to learn about some porcine insulin medicines that are due to be discontinued.

Why this is important 

For the Muslim community

For the Muslim community, it is important to check if their medicine contains insulin and if it is Islamically permissible to take/use. It is important to check if your medicine contains insulin and to clarify the source (synthetic or porcine). To find out if a medicine contains insulin, see the section on ‘Checking medicine information’.

Insulin is mainly synthetically derived and is considered halāl. However, porcine insulin is derived from pig which is considered harām. Cross-contamination may also occur during the manufacturing process if insulin is processed in facilities that handle harām sources (e.g. pork/alcohol). Therefore, it is important to check for halāl certification to ensure halāl-compliant manufacturing. To find out about the source and for halāl-certification, see the section on ‘Checking medicine information’. For further information on the permissibility of insulin, see the section on ‘Is all insulin halāl or harām?’.

For HCPs

For HCPs and anyone involved in delivering care and support, it is important to:

  • Understand which ingredients and/or excipients in medicines may be a concern for practising Muslims and why – for further information, see our resources under ‘Ingredients and excipients in medicines‘
  • Have open discussions with individuals about their personal values or beliefs that may relate to their care and support where possible – e.g. some individuals may wish to avoid certain ingredients/excipients in medicines due to religious beliefs, others may not be as practising or have the same beliefs, so it is important to ask
  • Discuss ideas, concerns and expectations – e.g. during consultations, you may be asked to help individuals to understand whether certain ingredients/excipients are present in their medicine(s), its source, and whether it is likely to be considered permissible in Islam/suitable for a halāl diet
    • To find out how to check if a medicine contains harām ingredients and/or excipients, see section on ‘Checking medicine information’.
    • For further information on the conditions of when it is acceptable for a practising Muslim individual to take/use a medicine that contains harām ingredients and/or excipients, is derived from harām sources, or where there is cross-contamination with harām sources, see our resource on ‘What to do if a medicine contains harām ingredients and/or excipients’
  • Respect and support individuals in making informed decisions about their treatment
  • Understand that you may be asked to explore alternative formulations that meet the individual’s religious requirements (where available), alternative companies that make the medicine without a particular excipient/ingredient (where possible) or alternative treatment options for the condition (where clinically appropriate)
    • HCPs may find the Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) resource on ‘Searching for presence or absence of an excipient in medicines’ useful to help them find alternative halāl medicines that don’t contain certain ingredients or excipients. Further information can be found on the SPS website
    • There may be situations where you cannot prescribe/supply an alternative halāl medicine which you may need to explain to the individual – for further information, see sections on ‘Hardship begets facility’ and ‘Limitations on prescribing an alternative halāl medicine‘.

Please take/use your medicine(s) as directed/prescribed by your healthcare professional. 

If you are seeking information about halāl status or alternatives, do not stop, delay, change, or change the way you take/use your medicine(s) without discussing this first with the healthcare professional who prescribed/supplied it to you. 

Always consult your healthcare professional if you have any questions and before making any decisions about your treatment. 

Checking medicine information

You can check if a medicine contains insulin using the relevant product patient information leaflet (PIL) or summary of product characteristics (SPC) which is available on the electronic medicines compendium (emc) website. You may also find our resource on ‘How to find out if a medicine contains harām ingredients and/or excipients’ useful. If you are still unsure if a medicine contains insulin, speak to your local pharmacist as they are the experts in medicines. 

You may need to contact the manufacturer to find out other information such as source and halāl certification. Please note that information regarding cross-contamination or potential contact with harām sources (e.g. pork/alcohol) is not always readily available from manufacturers. 

It is important to remember that even if you find out a medicine contains possible harām ingredients and/or excipients, is derived from harām sources, or that there is cross-contamination with harām sources, this does not always mean it is prohibited to take/use. For further information, see our resource on ‘What to do if a medicine contains harām ingredients and/or excipients’. It includes the conditions of when it is acceptable to take/use a medicine in these circumstances. It can also be used to support person-centred discussions between individuals and HCPs, and help make informed decisions around taking medicines that are both clinically appropriate and align with an individual’s Islamic values and beliefs.

Is all insulin halāl or harām?

The table below summarises the rulings of insulin according to the four Sunni schools7:

SourceḤanafīMālikīShāfiʿīḤanbalī
Recombinant human insulin✅ Halāl ✅ Halāl ✅ Halāl ✅ Halāl
Human insulin analogues✅ Halāl ✅ Halāl ✅ Halāl ✅ Halāl
Porcine insulin❌Harām ❌Harām ❌Harām ❌Harām

Recombinant human insulin and human insulin analogues are considered halāl because they do not have any harām derivates such as pig derivatives. 

Insulin which is derived from porcine (pig) sources are considered harām according to all schools of thought due to pigs being considered impure (najis). Under the principle of ḍarūrah (necessity) however, if there is an emergency situation, or where there is a strong chance the individual’s health will deteriorate and if no viable halāl alternative is available, then it is permitted to use porcine insulin until a viable alternative (recombinant human insulin or human insulin analogues) become available.

If you are still unsure if a medicine is permissible to take/use, speak to your local Imam or trusted Islamic scholar (ideally who has relevant knowledge and expertise in the Fiqh of medicines).

Summary

  • Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps regulate blood sugar levels. People whose bodies do not produce enough insulin may need to take it as a medication to replace the missing hormone
  • For the Muslim community,  it is important to check if your medicine contains insulin, and to clarify if it is derived from harām sources or if there has been cross-contamination with harām sources, this will help you to determine if a medicine is Islamically permissible to take/use
    • Individuals can check if a medicine contains insulin using the PIL or SPC, alternatively speak to your local pharmacist
    • If you are seeking information about halāl status or alternatives – do not stop, delay, change, or change the way you take/use your medicine(s) without discussing this first with the healthcare professional who prescribed/supplied it to you
    • Always consult your healthcare professional if you have any questions and before making any decisions about your treatment.
  • For HCPs and anyone involved in delivering care and support to the Muslim community, it is important to have open discussions with individuals about their personal values or beliefs that may relate to their care and support where possible
  • Synthetically derived insulin (recombinant human insulin and human insulin analogues are considered halāl due to not being derived from harām, legally impure (najis) sources/derivatives.
  • Porcine insulin however is considered harām according to all schools of thought due to pigs being considered impure (najis). Under the principle of ḍarūrah (necessity) however, if there is an emergency situation, or where there is a strong chance the individual’s health will deteriorate and if no viable halāl alternative is available, then it is permitted to use porcine insulin until a viable alternative until becomes available
  • Follow the guidance of your school of thought (madhhab). If you have further queries about the permissibility of medicines, consult a qualified local Imam or trusted Islamic scholar (ideally someone who has relevant knowledge and expertise in the Fiqh of medicines)
  • You can check if the following information is available from the relevant manufacturer(s) (manufacturers may have limited information):
    • Source of insulin (synthetic or porcine)
    • Halāl certification – to ensure halāl-compliant manufacturing 

References and further reading

  1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. About Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. CDC, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, May 15, 2024. Accessed August 17, 2025, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/insulin-resistance-type-2-diabetes.html ↩︎
  2. Diabetes UK. Insulin and Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes UK, content last reviewed 29 September 2022. Accessed 17 August 2025. Available at: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-diabetes/looking-after-diabetes/treatments/insulin/type-2-diabetes ↩︎
  3. National Library of Medicine. (n.d.). How did they make insulin from recombinant DNA? In From DNA to Beer: Harnessing Nature in Medicine & Industry [Interactive exhibition module]. Retrieved August 17, 2025, from https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/fromdnatobeer/exhibition-interactive/recombinant-DNA/recombinant-dna-technology-alternative.html ↩︎
  4. Walsh G. Biopharmaceutical benchmarks 2018. Nat Biotechnol. 2018;36(12):1136–1145. doi:10.1038/nbt.4305 ↩︎
  5. Hirsch IB. Insulin analogues. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:174–183 ↩︎
  6. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Injectable insulin medications. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved August 18, 2025, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/13902-injectable-insulin-medications ↩︎
  7. Rashid, R. (n.d.). Islamic rulings on the ḥalāl and ḥarām in medicine and food: Principles and applications. Al Balāgh Academy Publication Papers ↩︎
  8. Klein, A. V., Taylor, E., Legaré, C., Vu, D., & Griffiths, E. (2014). The role of animal-sourced insulin in the treatment of type 1 diabetes and its availability. Chronic Diseases and Injuries in Canada, 34(2–3), 169–171. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.34.2/3.12 ↩︎
Scroll to Top