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Gluten, lactose in drugs? Study raises questions about risk

March 13, 2019 - from APNews:

"A new report says pills often contain so-called “inactive” ingredients capable of causing allergic or gastrointestinal reactions in small numbers of people sensitive to specific compounds."
"And it’s hard for those patients, or even their doctors, to tell if a pill contains an extra ingredient they should avoid, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital said Wednesday. When the doctor sends a prescription, the pharmacist issues whatever the person’s insurance covers — without discussion of inactive ingredients that are buried in the drug’s labeling."
"Drugs contain an 'active ingredient,' what you hope will help your health. Patients may not realize that inactive ingredients make up the rest of the pill, substances that aren’t supposed to directly affect your health. They’re used to make it easier to absorb the drug, or to improve the taste or extend the shelf life."
"The study analyzed data on inactive ingredients from a database of more than 42,000 prescription and over-the-counter medicines. An average pill contains eight inactive ingredients, but some contain 20 or more."
"The report found:

• About 45 percent of the analyzed medications contained lactose. The amounts may be too small for some lactose-intolerant people to notice, but someone taking common drugs for high blood pressure and cholesterol could get about a gram a day.
• A third of medications contained a food dye associated with allergic reactions.
• More than half contained at least one type of sugar that people with irritable bowel syndrome are supposed to avoid. —In a recent survey, 18 percent of manufacturers said their medications contain gluten, which can cause severe reactions if patients with celiac disease consume as little as 1.5 milligrams a day. But labels may list only innocuous 'starch.'"

"Because refills can bring a different company’s formulation, patients should check the label each time."
"The issue is getting some attention. A pending Food and Drug Administration proposal recommends adding gluten information to drug labels."