Lifestyle
Are medicines and vaccines vegan?
Short answer
Often not: gelatin capsules, lactose as a carrier, legally required animal tests. Veganism does not require refusing treatment. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about a gelatin- or lactose-free alternative – do not switch medicines on your own.
The Vegan Society stresses “as far as possible and practicable”. Health-saving medicines count as practicable. A pharmacist can sometimes point to a gelatin-free equivalent. Switching the form or brand of a medicine always needs professional advice, because an alternative is not always equivalent.
Vaccines: some are still produced on eggs (for example influenza). That is not a reason to skip the immunisation schedule. Public health and your health are part of “practice”.