People will soon be able to have a vegetarian alternative to capsules which currently are made with gelatin coating. Many people may not know that gelatin is manufactured from processed bones, skin and tissue of cattle, pigs and other animals.

The government is now mulling over the proposal of replacing animal based gelatin with plant cellulose for the coating of capsules. The proposal already has an in-principle approval from the country's top drug regulator.

The Union health ministry has now handed over the proposal to a scientific committee headed by Professor C K Kokate, for consideration. Kokate is also evaluating the case of irrational combination drugs.

A senior official at the health ministry said that gelatin has been in use for ages, so they wanted to be absolutely sure about the safety and efficacy of plant cellulose. Therefore, all scientific literature and data have been forwarded to the scientific panel and the recommendations of the panel will be final as the matter has already been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

However, it would not be mandatory for companies. The idea is to provide consumers with a choice, especially when the technology is available. The Bureau of Indian Standards has already framed standards, norms and guidelines for making vegetarian capsules.