Pharmaceutical
Use of generics rises to a new high in SA's private sector
August 7th, 2019 The use of cheaper generic alternatives rose to an all-time high of 62% in the private sector in 2018, while the top five chronic disease list (CDL) conditions — hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, HIV/AIDS, hyperlipidaemia and asthma — were...
The high cost rare diseases: R54m for one-off injection
December 5th, 2018 The Sunday Times reports on one SA family's journey with their daughter, who has spinal muscular atrophy, trying to access hugely expensive new breakthrough drugs from Biogen and Novartis, for their daughter, who has spinal muscular atrophy...
SA pharmacies 'knowingly stock dangerous and ineffective products'
November 7th, 2018 The US Food and Drug Administration's Tainted Products Marketed as Dietary Supplements database lists hundreds of products with hidden active ingredients that are unsafe or unstudied. Some are sold in South African pharmacies, even under the same...Running out of antibiotics under development — WHO report
A World Health Organisation (WHO) report shows a serious lack of antibiotics under development to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. Most of the drugs currently in the clinical pipeline are modifications of existing classes of...Health activists embrace IP policy draft, IPSA says it fuels misconceptions
Health activists have welcomed the SA Department of Trade and Industry’s latest draft intellectual property policy saying it contains important reforms that will make life-saving medicines cheaper and more widely available. However, The...SA's national cancer drug shortage may last until October
A deadly national cancer drug shortage in SA is approaching its third month and patients may have to go without until October – if they can make it – reports Bhekisisa. In February, Nic Basson was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a...
The unaffordable cost of medicines in SA controversy
June 28th, 2017 The cost of medicines in SA – particularly of cutting-edge, potentially life-saving medicines – has been in the news. In one of several articles featured in this FOCUS, Katharine Child of Financial Mail reports that SA needs a scientific...
Drug companies in the Competition Commission's sights
June 21st, 2017 JSE-listed pharmaceutical company Aspen will have to pay a $5.2m fine plus interest imposed by the Italian Competition Authority related to the company’s portfolio of oncology products distributed in Italy, writes Business Report. Aspen...SA Competition Commission investigates Aspen, Roche and Pfizer over cancer drug pricing
Africa’s biggest generic drug maker Aspen Pharmacare, already under investigation by European authorities over the price of its cancer drugs, is now under similar scrutiny from South Africa’s Competition Commission, reports Business Day. The...SA experiencing an influx of fake medication
Erectile dysfunction drugs‚ painkillers and weight loss pills are among the most counterfeited pharmaceuticals available in South Africa. The Times reports that, according to Mohamed Khader‚ of specialist intellectual property firm Spoor...Amgen's cholesterol drug cuts cardiovascular risk - trial
Amgen said its cholesterol fighter Repatha significantly reduced the risk of heart attacks, strokes and death in patients with heart disease, according to initial results of a large, trial, reports Reuters Health. The data should pave the way...Increases in drug prices puts pressure on European healthcare
Increases in cancer medicine prices in the UK, despite many medicines going off-patent, suggest that in many cases NHS price negotiations are failing to lower or even stabilise drug prices, found a UK study. European prices for some off-patent...
OECD: Many new drugs are bad value for money
January 25th, 2017 An Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development report has criticised the pricing strategy of the pharmaceutical industry, claiming that many new drugs are simply bad value for money. The report says that there needs to be a rebalancing...SA medicine price increase off to an early start
Aspen Pharmacare has welcomed both the 7.5% increase in the single exit price for medicines and scheduled substances announced by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi as well as the early timing of its implementation, reports Business Day. In the...
Critical flaws in the management of medical supplies
November 30th, 2016 The Auditor-General has identified critical flaws at the SA Department of Health's depots and health institutions in the storage and management of medical supplies‚ the recording of patients’ details, as well as the keeping of records of...