Dive Brief:
- Pfizer's Elelyso, used to treat Type 1 Gaucher disease, is the first prescription drug to be certified kosher.
- The medication is used for long-term treatment of the disease, of which one of every 14 Ashkenazi Jews is a carrier.
- The Orthodox Union certified Elelyso's manufacturing facility in Israel, Pfizer announced in a news release.
Dive Insight:
The certification may be as much about savvy marketing as religious respect. CNBC notes that even the strictest kosher regulations allow medical therapy to be used in a life-or-death situation. Also, Elelyso is an injectable, which technically isn't covered by kosher regulations.
“In a life or death situation, Jewish law clearly sets aside the kosher status of a prescription medicine, but in other cases, it is preferable and sometimes recommended that a medicine be certified kosher. We commend Pfizer for taking this step and making this commitment to the Jewish community.” Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of Orthodox Union Kosher, said in a Pfizer news release.
In the release, Pfizer said it gained the kosher certification by using an "innovative and proprietary manufacturing system which uses genetically engineered carrot cells grown in a simple solution of water, plant extracts, sugar, and a mixture of vitamins and minerals to produce Elelyso."