Is It Permissible to Work For a Pharmaceutical Company?

Assalamu alaykum, I am interested in working for a pharmaceutical company and would like to clarify the Hanafi ruling. Pharmaceutical companies primarily earn revenue from medicines, many of which may contain haram ingredients such as porcine gelatin in capsules, glycerol, vanilla extract... There may also be cross-contamination where shared equipment or facilities are used. As a result, a significant proportion of a pharmaceutical company's revenue could potentially come from medicines that are impermissible to sell. I have found two similar questions on SeekersGuidance, but their answers appear contradictory: https://seekersguidance.org/answers/hanafi-fiqh/can-i-work-for-a-hair-restoration-company/ https://seekersguidance.org/answers/hanafi-fiqh/can-i-work-for-a-company-that-sells-various-kinds-of-lab-equipment-including-some-that-is-used-for-genetic-engineering/ The first indicates that if most of a company's revenue comes from haram sources, an employee cannot work there even if their own role is permissible. The second states that employment may be permissible provided the employee's own work does not directly assist in sin. My questions are: Am I required to investigate a pharmaceutical company's products and financials to determine whether the majority of its revenue comes from halal or haram medicines, particularly when companies sell hundreds of products and may not disclose the ingredients or revenue breakdown of each? If a company is reasonably determined to derive more than 50% of its revenue from haram medicines, could I still work on a clearly halal project, such as developing a medical device? Would a strategic/project-management role involving a medicine containing a haram ingredient be impermissible? I understand that selling or marketing the product could be problematic, but what about R&D, clinical studies, regulatory work, or other activities involved in developing the medicine? JazakAllahu khayran

Dear Brother / Sister,

Just as it is not permissible to do something that is haram, it is also not permissible to support the doing of something haram. However, doing something that can be used both for what is halal and what is haram is not sinful; the person who uses it for what is haram is responsible.

As a fatwa, if the work personally performed by an employee does not directly assist in a sin, it is permissible for them to work for that company, and the wage they receive is also halal.

Furthermore, a medicine obtained from a haram substance may be used when necessary. If it is necessary for treatment, if there is no alternative, or even if there is an alternative but it is not sufficient, then, if a specialist and religiously upright doctor recommends using that medicine, it is permissible to use it.

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