What is the ruling on tasting medicine that contains alcohol (ethanol 70%) at a concentration ranging from 20% to 50%, as part of mandatory routine work in a pharmaceutical manufacturing company?

The presence of alcohol in the manufacturing of some medicines does not necessitate a blanket ruling of prohibition. Additives that originated from impure or forbidden substances transform into ritually permissible substances through istihalah (chemical transformation) or istihlak (dissolution/consumption).

If the alcohol undergoes istihalah after being incorporated into the medicine's manufacturing, or if a large quantity of the medicine does not intoxicate, then the reason for its prohibition is removed.

Moreover, some scholars differentiate between khamr (wine/intoxicant) and industrially produced alcohol.