Juta MedicalBrief

A Pretoria surgeon who this month carried out the continent’s first experimental lymphovenous bypass on an Alzheimer’s patient said there had been early signs of improvement, but that the procedure was still investigational, reports News24. Dr Ben Moodie, a reconstructive and plastic surgeon at Cintocare Hospital in Pretoria, said the procedure was performed on 7 April on a 70-year-old man with advanced Alzheimer’s. The operation is part of an emerging field exploring whether improving neck lymphatic drainage affects brain health, and was performed by Moodie alongside assistant Dr Heinrich Janse van Rensburg, anaesthesiologist Dr Adolf Fourie, and supported by a multidisciplinary...

The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has asked consumers to report any adverse events from cold and flu products containing phenylephrine as it considers an industry request for further research before deciding whether to phase it out, reports Business Day. Phenylephrine is used in more than two dozen over-the-counter oral decongestants registered in the country. “This call is specifically for phenylephrine (for) anything untoward or negative that could be directly caused by the treatment,” said SAHPRA’s chief regulatory officer Tammy Gopal. The request stems from a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement in late 2024 that it was considering phasing...

A major restructuring plan is on the cards for pharmacy giant Dis-Chem, which employees fear may put several hundred jobs – from its 22 000-strong workforce – on the line, but which the group has said will open up new positions, reports IOL. CEO Rui Morais last week said that although it had initiated a Section 189 process, a mandatory consultation phase dictated by the Labour Relations Act for companies contemplating operational restructuring – and which generally alarms staff – far from a simple downsizing measure, the strategic pivot would actually pad the payroll in specific areas. More 500 head office...

South African police chief General Fannie Masemola, who has denied any role in the controversial R360m health tender awarded to Vusi “Cat” Matlala’s company in 2024, has been placed on “precautionary suspension” by President Cyril Ramaphosa for failing in his oversight duties, reports the BBC. The contract, meant to provide health services to the police, was given to Matlala’s company Medicare24 Tshwane in 2024, but was cancelled last year and has since become the subject of a criminal investigation. Masemola has been charged with violating part of the Public Finance Management Act. “I know that I’m not guilty, I’m not wrong,...

The impasse between dental technology students countrywide and the South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC) looks unlikely to be resolved any time soon, with the regulator’s decision to oppose legal action brought by three universities likely to escalate the ongoing tensions and battle over the accreditation of training programmes, reports IOL. The SADTC said it had received court papers from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), the Durban University of Technology and the Tshwane University of Technology, and had instructed its legal team to oppose the matter. The long-running dispute over the accreditation and regulation of the dental technology programmes has disrupted academic programmes, delayed graduations, and...

The East London Specialised Commercial Crimes Court has rejected a bid by the defence to drop charges of fraud and corruption against Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo, accused of faking a matric certificate to secure a government job decades ago, reports News24. Instead, the trial will continue on 15 July. Kupelo, who is out on R30 000 bail and is pleading not guilty, faces two charges of fraud, two charges of forgery and one charge of uttering, after being arrested by the Hawks in April 2024. His lawyer, Elias Makhanya, told the court in February that they would be...

The firing of a Western Cape Department of Health employee for – among other things, disrespectful behaviour – was fair and reasonable, ruled the Labour Court last week in dismissing an application to overturn an arbitration award that upheld his dismissal, reports IOL. Judge Robert Lagrange found that Nqaba Albertus Mphalwa, who worked as a central processing operator at Red Cross Hospital, failed to show any irregularity in the arbitration proceedings that would justify setting aside the award, and that his dismissal was both procedurally and substantively fair. Mphalwa had worked for the department since 2015 before being fired in April...

DignitySA, which is campaigning for the decriminalisation of assisted dying – and which has raised R4.6m of its R7m target so far – believes the Constitutional Court, not public opinion, should shape South Africa’s legal position on the issue, reports Business Day. Speaking at the Cape Town Press Club this week, DignitySA chair Willem Landman said that while the organisation had launched legal action in the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) last month seeking to have the common law prohibition on assisted dying declared unconstitutional and invalid, it was aware that it would have to accept whatever the outcome was. It has...

Merck has received FDA approval for its Idvynso, a combination regimen that brings its novel islatravir to market for the first time, offering an alternative to HIV patients and serving as the cornerstone of what could be a lucrative HIV franchise for the company, reports Fierce Pharma. Idvynso is a once-daily, two-drug oral pairing of Merck’s doravirine and islatravir. Doravirine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) that has been commercialised since 2018 as part of Merck’s Pifeltro and Delstrigo, while islatravir is a newer nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor (NRTTI) that represents the “anchor medicine” in a number of other...

At least five people have died in Burundi, and another three dozen become ill from unexplained causes, reports CIDRAP News. The case-fatality rate of 14% has alarmed officials, who say symptoms have included fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache and dark urine, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). In severe cases, people may display neurologic symptoms, anaemia, jaundice and difficulty in breathing. Testing showed that samples from patients tested negative for more than 200 pathogens, said Yap Boum, PhD, MPH, deputy head of the Africa CDC Mpox Response. This includes Ebola and Marburg virus diseases, Rift Valley fever,...

Lawmakers in Britain have approved new and stricter smoking legislation so that children who are 17 or younger – and anyone born in the future – will never be able to legally buy cigarettes. They have also clamped down on vapers, reports Reuters. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill raises the legal age for buying tobacco by one year, every year, starting with people born on or after 1 January 2009, meaning affected age groups face a lifetime ban. Due to receive ⁠royal assent next week, the law also tightens controls on vaping, including banning sales of vaping and nicotine products to...

A report showing the efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine and previously delayed by the head of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been blocked from being published in the agency’s flagship scientific journal, reports The Washington Post. The document showed that the vaccine reduced emergency department visits and hospitalisations among healthy adults by about half this past winter, but is unlikely to see the light of day, according to three sources familiar with the decision. The move, which has not been previously reported, has raised concerns among current and former officials that information about the vaccine’s benefits...

Seeking a quick boost to enhance sexual performance is not that uncommon, but experts warn that cheap unapproved black market products, taken without medical assessment, can have unwarranted results and even lead to health emergencies, writes Sandile Mbili for Health-e News. In one case, Sizwe Mthembu (42), who took two sex enhancer pills he bought for R15 from a street vendor in Durban, developed a prolonged and painful erection that lasted more than 24 hours. A doctor diagnosed priapism, a condition he did not even know existed. Dr Ntlotleng Mabena, a medical practitioner, cautioned that taking such pills without proper medical assessment...

Three agreements have been signed between the African Union and the European Commission to reinforce and strengthen Africa’s health systems, reports Health Policy Watch. The first initiative supports the national public health institutes of 10 African countries to enhance disease surveillance, early warning systems, emergency response, research and laboratory services. The second, announced at the One Health Summit in Lyon this month, will tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and involve the development of a workforce trained in a ‘One Health’ approach to detect and prevent health threats in humans, animals and the environment. The third involves expanding digital health solutions for pandemic preparedness...

An Eastern Cape woman woman (54) has been arrested and is facing multiple charges, including possession of scheduled substances and practising without proper registration, after police raided an unlicensed pharmacy and medical practice in Duncan Village on Monday, reports AlgoaFM. Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said authorities seized a large quantity of medication, injections, a Speedpoint device and an undisclosed amount of cash, valued at more than R85 000. The woman will be charged under the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 (for possession of scheduled substances), the Health Professions Act 56 of 1974 (for practising without registration with...

A 40-year-old medical doctor was to appear in an East London court this week after being arrested on Friday at King Phalo Airport for possession of an unlicensed gun and 59 rounds of ammunition, reports AlgoaFM. Police said the man had been booked on a flight to Cape Town. The gun was seized, and ballistic testing will determine whether it may have been used in the commission of other crimes.   AlgoaFM article – Medical doctor arrested at King Phalo Airport with gun and ammunition (Open access)

DNA and other confidential health data from half a million people who volunteered for a massive British health study were offered for sale online in China after a data breach last week, reports MedPage Today. The British Government announced that the information from the UK Biobank database was found listed for sale on the website Alibaba, but names, addresses, contact details, or telephone numbers were not included, according to Technology Minister Ian Murray. Murray said he could not give a complete guarantee that nobody could be identified, as the data could include gender, age, month and year of birth, socioeconomic status,...

More and more children are skipping their childhood immunisations, with the Gauteng Department of Health warning that the declining rates are reducing protection against preventable diseases, reports The Star. Officials said that missed or delayed vaccinations leave thousands of children increasingly vulnerable to outbreaks that could have been avoided through the routine shots. The latest data from the department show a notable dip in coverage in the 2025/26 financial year. Just more than 191 000 children under 12 months old have been vaccinated so far, translating to 75.3% coverage, down from 83% in the previous financial year when more than 213 000 children...

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has demanded justice for a doctor and a nurse who were assaulted at the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital this month, condemning the incident and warning against rising attacks on healthcare workers in the country, reports Punch. The association said it had received “with deep concern the report of yet another physical assault on healthcare worker”, noting that the incident occurred while a female doctor was professionally explaining hospital charges for a medical procedure to a patient’s relative. A nurse who was present was also attacked. The association described the attack as “inhumane and unacceptable,”...

While payouts for medical negligence claims against the state have dropped over the past few years, billions of rands are still being paid out annually, write Marecia Damons and David Capel for GroundUp. The claims largely stem from cases involving obstetric injuries, including cerebral palsy, from orthopaedic surgery and from trauma-related incidents. From about 2014 until the early 2020s, negligence claims ballooned. By March 2020, the total value of claims (not payouts) against the state amounted to 45% of public health spending for the year, threatening the capacity of the provincial Health Departments to provide proper care. But after a concerted effort by the...

A doctor accused of sexually assaulting four patients over a period of several months has been arrested in Madadeni, near Newcastle, and will appear in court today, reports The Witness. KwaZulu-Natal Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) detectives, working with Madadeni police, nabbed the man (69) on Tuesday. Police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said the doctor is accused of assaulting four female patients at a hospital in Madadeni between August 2025 and April 2026. “Apart from him allegedly touching them inappropriately, some of them have accused him of forcing them to perform sexual acts on him,” Netshiunda said. Authorities were tipped off...

A New Jersey court sentenced OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to $5.5bn in fines and penalties stemming from its 2020 guilty plea to charges of deceiving government regulators and paying kickbacks to doctors to boost opioid sales, reports CNBC. US District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo’s sentencing on Tuesday came after nearly seven hours of testimony from people speaking up about the company’s role in fuelling the opioid epidemic, and clears the way for it to dissolve in bankruptcy and use its assets to fund a $7.4bn settlement intended to compensate them. More than 200 victims sent letters to the court with personal stories of addiction and loss, and more than 40...

Judges in a US Supreme Court are wrestling this week with whether federal law pre-empts them – and juries – from weighing claims from tens of thousands of cancer patients that chemical giant Monsanto failed to warn them about alleged cancer risks from weed killer Roundup, reports The Washington Post. Billions of dollars are at stake, as is the future of a chemical that environmentalists are adamant is toxic but which the US’ largest farm group says is so important that ending its use would threaten America’s food supply. The judges appear to be leaning towards restricting the lawsuits, but they...