Eight years after the petition was filed, the USFDA has approved the use of special mica-based pigments on pills, tablets and liquids, giving medicines a unique pearly sheen similar to those seen on cosmetics.
The pigments, made by coating the mineral mica with either titanium dioxide or iron oxide — or both, are not allowed, however, to make up more than 3 percent of the weight of a drug. The primary producer of these pigments is EMD Chemicals Inc. of Gibbstown, N.J., an affiliate of Germany-based Merck KGaA (NYSE:MRK).
The pigments can produce sparkly metallic, satiny and shimmery finishes, as well as different hues of red and gold, depending partly on the color of the underlying drug.
EMD Chemicals hopes the pharmaceutical companies it supplies will seize on the technology to give their drugs a look that is unique and hard to copy, said Dan Giambattisto, sales and marketing director for Candurin Pigments at EMD Chemicals.
EMD Chemicals is also applying to have these pigments approved for use on cerelas, candies, and other food items.
Read the full story from Yahoo News.
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