Lactose in medicines

This resource on lactose is for the Muslim community (including patients, carers, parents and members of the public). Healthcare professionals may also find this resource useful when supporting people with gathering information and understanding information about their medicine(s). 


It highlights the issues of lactose use in medicines that you should be aware of. There is also a table to help you understand if lactose is halāl or harām, according to each of the four Sunni schools of thought.

Table Of Contents
  1. Lactose in medicines
  2. What is lactose?
  3. How lactose is used in medicines
  4. How the use of lactose in medicines affects the Muslim community
  5. Is lactose halāl or harām?
  6. How do I find out if a medicine contains lactose?
  7. Summary
  8. References and further reading

What is lactose?

Lactose is a natural sugar found in milk and dairy products. 

It is extracted from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other halāl animals.  

How lactose is used in medicines

Lactose is an excipient used to make medicines such as tablets and powders. It is used as a filler to add bulk, as a binder to compress tablets and as a diluent in powders to improve flowability.1

How the use of lactose in medicines affects the Muslim community

The Muslim community needs to be aware that cross-contamination may occur during the manufacturing process if lactose is processed in facilities that handle harām ingredients.  

Bovine (cow) rennet is an added enzyme (derived from the stomach of the calf)  traditionally used to extract lactose from cow’s milk. If rennet is used to extract lactose in the manufacturing of medicines, then it may be derived from animal sources, such as calves that were not Islamically slaughtered, or from other harām sources such as pigs. Some manufacturers now use vegetarian processes to extract lactose from milk. However, it is best to check the source and for halāl-certification to ensure halāl-compliant manufacturing. For further information on rennet, see our Rennet in medicines guide.

Examples of cross-contamination may include: 

  • If lactose is processed with harām ingredients (e.g., enzymes derived from pigs) – the lactose becomes harām
  • If rennet is derived from animal sources, e.g. from the stomach of non-Islamically slaughtered calves, is used to coagulate the milk to produce lactose – there is a difference of opinion on whether the lactose is harām in this case. For further information on rennet, see our guide on Rennet in medicines.
  • If alcohol is used in the purification and extraction process – the majority of Islamic scholars consider the final product halāl if the alcohol evaporates completely. Synthetic or non-intoxicating alcohols are generally permitted in processing. For further information on alcohol see our guide on Other synthetic alcohols used in medicines.

Therefore, it is important to check for halāl-certification to ensure halāl-compliant manufacturing.  However, it is important to note that information regarding cross-contamination or potential contact with animal sources is not always readily available from manufacturers. 

It is important for the Muslim community to:

  1. Check if your medicine contains lactose and if rennet was used in the extraction process. If rennet was used, it is important to clarify its source
  2. Check for halāl-certification – to ensure proper purification, alcohol-free and cross-contamination free processing where possible. 

To find out this information, see section on ‘How do I find out if a medicine contains lactose?‘. You may need to directly contact the manufacturer of your medicine to find out if rennet was used in the extraction process, the source of rennet and for halāl-certification (manufacturers may have limited information). This is because the product information only lists lactose and not rennet (as it is used as an enzyme in the manufacturing process). You can also speak to your local pharmacist for advice and support. 

Is lactose halāl or harām?

The table below summarises the ruling of lactose according to the four Sunni schools2:

SourceḤanafīMālikī Shāfiʿī Ḥanbalī
From animals that are Islamically slaughtered e.g. goats, lambs, calves (bovine)✅Halāl ✅Halāl ✅Halāl ✅Halāl
From animals that are not Islamically slaughtered e.g. goats, lambs, calves (bovine)✅Halāl ✅Halāl ✅Halāl ✅Halāl

In summary, according to the four schools of thought, milk is legally pure (ṭāhir); therefore, lactose is inherently halāl and permissible. This includes lactose from animals not Islamically slaughtered e.g. goats, lambs, calves (bovine) because milk remains legally pure (ṭāhir) regardless of the method of slaughtering. 

How do I find out if a medicine contains lactose?


You can check if a medicine contains lactose using the relevant product patient information leaflet (PIL) or summary of product characteristics (SPC) available on the electronic medicines compendium (emc) website. However, you would need to consider if rennet was used if you see lactose. You may need to contact the manufacturer to find out if rennet (an enzyme) was used to extract lactose, the source of rennet and for halāl-certification. This is because rennet is not usually listed as an ingredient or excipient in the product information. You may also find our resources on ‘How to find out if a medicine contains harām ingredients or excipients‘ useful. If you are still unsure if your medicine contains lactose, speak to your local healthcare professional such as your local pharmacist. 

It is important to remember that even if a medicine contains a doubtful or problematic ingredient or excipient, it does not always mean it is prohibited. If you find out a medicine contains an impermissible ingredient or excipient from an impermissible source, then see our guide on ‘What to do if a medicine contains harām ingredients or excipients’. It includes the conditions of when it is acceptable to take a medicine that contains an impermissible ingredient or excipient. It may also help you make informed decisions on the next steps in discussions with your healthcare professional. If you are still not sure if it is permissible to take your medicine, then speak to your local Imam or trusted Islamic scholar (ideally who has relevant knowledge and expertise in the Fiqh of medicines).

Please continue to take your medicine(s) as prescribed. Do not stop taking your medicine(s), change your medicine(s), or change the way you take your medicine(s) without discussing this with the healthcare professional who prescribed it for you. 

Summary

  • Lactose is halāl if it is sourced from the milk of halāl animals and if processed without harām ingredients
  • You can check if a medicine you are taking contains lactose (rennet is used to extract lactose) using the PIL or SPC. If you are unsure, then speak to your local pharmacist
  • You can check if rennet was used to extract the lactose and its source with the manufacturers. You can also check if there is halāl-certification available for the medicine, to ensure halāl-compliant manufacturing (manufacturers may have limited information)
  • If you are unsure if your medicine is permissible to take, then speak to your local Imam or trusted Islamic scholar (ideally who has relevant knowledge and expertise in the Fiqh of medicines).

References and further reading

  1.  Hebbink, G.A. and Dickhoff, B.H.J. (2019). Chapter 5 – Application of lactose in the pharmaceutical industry. [online] ScienceDirect. Accessed 14.3.2025 from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128117200000052. ↩︎
  2. Islamic Perspective on lactose by Shaykh Dr Rafaqat Rashid ↩︎
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