Volume 1: Findings and Conclusions
2. Setting the context
The pharmaceutical industry

146 Bovine materials were, and are, also used in pharmaceutical, medical and veterinary medical products (see Annex 1 to Chapter 2 in vol. 7:Medicines and Cosmetics). The UK pharmaceuticals industry is one of the largest in the world. In 1997, for example, UK exports were worth over £5 billion and accounted for around 12 per cent of the world market. There were over 400 pharmaceutical manufacturers and research organisations in the UK, although the market was dominated by multinationals such as Glaxo Wellcome, SmithKline Beecham and Zeneca. ¹

147 Bovine materials from the slaughterhouse are used directly in pharmaceuticals. Several injectable medicines are derived directly from bovine sources. Hormones such as insulin and glucagon may be derived from bovine pancreases, and protein products such as aprotonin and heparin are derived from bovine lungs and intestinal mucous respectively. Sutures and some medical devices such as heart valves and pericardium patches are also derived directly from bovine materials, in this case the intestines, heart and serous membranes.

148 Bovine materials are also used indirectly in the manufacture of certain types of vaccine. Cells which are used to grow these vaccines are nourished in nutrient-rich cultures that contain serum from the blood of foetal or new-born calves, or bovine serum albumin, which derives from the blood of older cattle. Bacterial cells are grown in nutrient-rich broths containing peptone derived from bovine meat, and some allergens are produced in special culture media which contain digests of calf brain and ox liver. In all these cases the bovine materials are not a constituent of the final product, but they are used in an ancillary way in the manufacturing process.

149 Tallow and gelatine are also used in several pharmaceutical and medical products. Gelatine is widely used as a pill coating and tallow is a constituent of most creams and ointments.