The Department of Health defended its medicine procurement policies after an industry body blamed government tender practices for thousands of job losses. These job losses occurred among South African pharmaceutical manufacturers. The dispute highlights increasing tension between government efforts to support local pharmaceutical manufacturing and the need to secure affordable medicines. However, the Department of Health also needs to secure…
Tag: South Africa
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Netcare AI Deterioration Algorithm Submitted To SAHPRA
Netcare has submitted its AI-powered patient deterioration algorithm to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) for regulatory approval. The submission follows the completion of a clinical study conducted in Netcare’s intensive care and high-care units. The technology identifies early warning signs of serious clinical deterioration, allowing healthcare teams more time to intervene before a patient’s condition becomes critical.…
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Cancer Heat Therapy: R57m Public Health Rollout
A R57 million funding drive could determine whether a South African cancer treatment is adopted in the public healthcare system. Cancer heat therapy has been shown to improve survival and reduce long-term costs. Dr Carrie Minnaar, a South African researcher specialising in oncologic hyperthermia, is leading plans to install six modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) devices at three public hospitals over the…
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Local Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Needs Urgent Support
An industry group has warned that South Africa’s emphasis on securing the lowest possible prices for medicine is excluding local pharmaceutical companies from important state contracts. This issue highlights the challenges faced by local pharmaceutical manufacturing. In particular, they struggle to remain competitive in the market. Pharmaceuticals Made in South Africa (Pharmisa) told Parliament that the Health Department’s procurement policies…
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PEPFAR Funding Cuts Deepen Global HIV Crisis
An inaccurate map of Africa presented at the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro drew criticism. US officials incorrectly placed Mozambique in the Horn of Africa and moved Ivory Coast from West to East Africa. The mistakes damaged the goodwill built by the Trump administration’s decision to attend the conference, and officials also addressed questions about changes to…
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Avoidable Blindness In Africa Threatens Eye Health
Avoidable blindness in Africa remains one of the continent’s most serious eye health challenges. Millions of people continue to experience vision loss caused by cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and uncorrected refractive errors. Many of these conditions can be treated or managed when detected early. However, patients often reach specialists after significant vision loss has already occurred. Ophthalmologist Dr Mpopi Lenake…
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Sixty60 Pharmacy Delivery Threatens Clicks And Dis-Chem
Shoprite Group’s Sixty60 service is changing more than grocery retail. Its speed, convenience and reliability are resetting what shoppers expect online. Now Sixty60 pharmacy delivery could reshape South Africa’s chemist market too. Shoprite has described Sixty60 as a single consumer platform. The goal is one-hour delivery across all its corporate brands. That ambition carries major implications for the pharmacy sector.…
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Rosebank Health Village Expands Growthpoint Portfolio
Growthpoint Healthcare Property Holdings (GHPH) has completed a R100 million healthcare development in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The new Rosebank Health Village expands the fund’s exposure to specialist medical real estate. It also marks the first step in a planned network of integrated healthcare facilities. GHPH developed the two-storey facility with healthcare provider Epione. The partners plan to establish more health villages…
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Extensior South Africa Launch Targets Lower-Cost Access
Novo Nordisk is preparing to launch a lower-cost, authorised version of Ozempic in South Africa. The Extensior South Africa launch aims to improve access to regulated semaglutide treatment for people with type 2 diabetes. Extensior is scheduled to become available from 27 July. Novo Nordisk has partnered with pharmaceutical company Acino to distribute the medicine nationwide. The treatment contains semaglutide,…
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Illicit Medicines In South Africa Spark Sahpra Crackdown
The availability of illicit medicines in South Africa is increasing, according to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority. Sahpra regulates medicines and medical devices in the country. It said reports from consumers and seizures by inspectors suggest the problem is widespread. Criminal syndicates are targeting widely used or in-demand medicines. These include weight-loss drugs, antibiotics, painkillers and medicines used…