The FDA has OK'd the use of "pearlescent pigments" in any drugs that are swallowed, and consumer groups wasted no time in objecting to the move. The pigments, which are commonly used in cosmetics, are intended to give drugs a special, colorful look that some believe could help make these products more attractive to patients. Consumer advocates, though, claim that they will add iron salt contaminants in drugs that could affect they way they work. EMD Chemicals, which makes the pigments, has been lobbying the FDA for eight years to allow their use in pharmaceuticals. The FDA says that the pigments can account for no more than three percent of a therapy's weight and will have no "toxic potential" at that amount.
- here's the report on pigments