Title: Awareness towards Halal pharmaceuticals: an analysis of pharmacists' views

Authors: Baker Ahmad Alserhan; Mehmet Bayirli; Fida Zakzouk

Addresses: Princess Sumaya University for Technology, P.O. Box 1438 Al-Jubaiha – Amman, 11941, Jordan ' Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Alanya-Antalya 07425, Turkey ' Princess Sumaya University for Technology, P.O. Box 1438 Al-Jubaiha – Amman, 11941, Jordan

Abstract: Pharmaceuticals remain understudied and an area of controversy, especially when it comes to ingredients used and process of manufacturing. In fact, this study is one of the very first to address this issue which is becoming of increasing interest to marketers. This study was carried out with the aim of exploring the level of awareness towards Halal pharmaceuticals in Jordan through analysing the responses of pharmacists in the country collected using a structured questionnaire. Findings reveal that there is a general lack of awareness at all levels of the Halal aspect of pharmaceutical products. These results however maybe peculiar to Arab markets than the wider Muslim markets where Halal is part of the Islamic identity, unlike in Arab countries where Halal is assumed. Therefore, the study recommends further comparative investigations in other Arab and Muslim countries in order to be able to gauge the level of awareness.

Keywords: Halal pharmaceuticals; awareness; certification; pharmacists; Jordan.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMB.2020.109065

International Journal of Islamic Marketing and Branding, 2020 Vol.5 No.1, pp.43 - 57

Received: 29 Jan 2020
Accepted: 24 Feb 2020
Published online: 18 Aug 2020 *