Cell-based influenza vaccine: current production, <i>halal</i> status assessment, and recommendations towards Islamic-compliant manufacturing
Nurul Nadiah Zulkarnain, Nurina Anuar, Norliza Abd Rahman, Siti Rozaimah Sheikh Abdullah, Muhammad Nazir Alias, Mashitoh Yaacob, Zhongren Ma, Gongtao Ding
Abstract
Influenza virus is a life-threatening pathogen that infects millions of people every year, with annual mortality in the hundreds of thousands. The scenario for controlling infection has worsened with increasing numbers of vaccine hesitancy cases reported worldwide due to objections on safety, religious and other grounds. Uses of haram (impermissible) and mashbooh (doubtful) ingredients in vaccine production has raised doubts among Muslim consumers and consequently stimulated serious vaccine hesitancy. To address this major problem, we have reviewed and recommended some alternatives appropriate for manufacturing cell-based influenza vaccine which comply with Islamic laws and consumers’ needs. Intensive assessments of current influenza vaccine production in both scientific and Islamic views have led to the identification of four main ingredients deemed impermissible in novel sharia-compliant (approved by Islamic laws) vaccine manufacturing. Only some of these impermissible components could be replaced with halal (permissible) alternatives, while others remain impermissible due to unavailability and unsuitability.