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News Update
FDA approves expanded use of liver disease drug
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the expanded use of Mirum Pharmaceuticals’ medication, Livmarli, to treat itching caused by a liver disorder...
Unpaid phone bills leave Gauteng hospitals on hold
The Gauteng Department of Health said 11 hospitals were still unreachable because of disputes with Telkom but that it had reduced its bills “significantly”...
Mediclinic cleared of billing manipulation
An independent investigation has cleared Mediclinic of intentionally manipulating billing, after allegations – by someone claiming to be a former Mediclinic employee – were...
Flu outbreak closes Free State schools
Two schools in the Free State have been shut down for a week after more than 100 pupils contracted influenza B and human rhinovirus.
The...
Global study to determine why black people have worse cancers
A global five-year, multimillion-pound investigation has been launched into why black people are more likely to develop more aggressive forms of prostate, breast and pancreatic...
Benzene in acne treatments linked to cancer
Acne treatments have joined the list of common consumer products – like hand sanitisers, sunscreens and dry shampoos – that contain high levels of...
Another delay for Alzheimer’s drug as FDA sets up review panel
The FDA has delayed its decision on Eli Lilly’s highly anticipated Alzheimer’s drug donanemab and plans to convene an advisory committee to review it...
UK review calls for action on ‘biased’ medical devices
British experts have joined what’s growing into a global call for action on medical devices that are prone to unfair biases, including blood oxygen...
Large study shows ALS drug failures
The maker of a much-debated drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease said last week that its therapy had failed to help patients in a large...
Global quest to pinpoint cause of early-onset cancers
Something in the environment or our lifestyles seems to be causing a rise in early-onset cancers, which is concerning scientists worldwide. Now, a study...
World anti-doping body suspends Africa’s only testing lab
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) formally suspended the accreditation of the SA Doping Control Laboratory in Bloemfontein – the only such facility in Africa...
Global child mortality drops, but preventable deaths still high
Although the number of children globally who died before their fifth birthday dropped to a record low of 4.9m in 2022, that still represents...
Pietermaritzburg pharmacist murdered
A well-known Pietermaritzburg pharmacist was found murdered next to his bullet-riddled car last Thursday night, police said.
The 72-year-old from DuziMed Medicine Depot had multiple...
Alabama passes IVF immunity Bill
An Alabama, US, governor signed a Bill last week that will protect providers and patients – doing in vitro fertilisation – from legal liability...
Rise in psittacosis cases in Europe
The World Health Organisation has issued an outbreak notice after reports from five European countries of an unexpected rise in infections involving psittacosis, a...
Anti-vaxxers failed in bid to stop Covid vaccinations
An application by three non-profit companies to halt the government’s distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine was slammed as “manifestly unfair”, fatally defective, and dismissed...
New Omicron sub-variant detected in SA
The SA National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has detected a strain of SARS-CoV-2 with more than 30 changes in its spike protein compared...
UK reviews asthma drug after traumatic side effects in children
Activists are demanding stricter controls and more prominent warnings on the commonly prescribed asthma and allergy drug montelukast, which has seen children as young...
RSV jab may boost Guillain-Barré risk, US experts warn
American health authorities have warned that vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) might have caused a few cases of the rare neurological condition Guillain-Barré...
‘Deepfake’ scammers use doctors' details to con people
A leading South African medical professional’s face and voice were faked to sell male potency products, and to steal money from those deceived by...
SA's maternal mortality rate declines, health barometer shows
The Western Cape is the only province that meets the UN Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing maternal mortality to below 70 maternal deaths...
Doctor gets bail after medicines and equipment found in car
A 31-year-old doctor was released on R5 000 bail on Monday in connection with the alleged theft of medication and medical equipment found in...
Abuse, humiliation rife in state health facilities – Ritshidze report
A lack of privacy, scarcity of lubricants and key population groups allegedly being denied antiretrovirals (ARVs) are some of the issues highlighted in the...
France first to make abortion a constitutional right
In a groundbreaking decision, France has enshrined the right to abortion in its Constitution, a world first welcomed by women’s rights groups as historic...
FDA allows ‘yoghurt can lower diabetes risk’ claim
Yoghurt makers are now permitted to claim that their products can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, says the US Food and Drug...
Alzheimer’s drug beset by various challenges
Neurologists are voicing “frustration” at core elements of the Alzheimer's drug Leqembi, produced by Eisai and Biogen and which was supposed to be the...
Scientists' research could spark next pandemic, new report warns
Scientists are urging better regulation of experiments that could spark pandemics, arguing that a “research-related incident” may have caused the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Filippa Lentzos,...
KZN pink eye cases surge
The KwaZulu-Natal Health Department has warned of an outbreak of conjunctivitis, particularly in eThekwini, with more than 1 000 cases reported between 29 February...
Labels from dumped medical waste ‘deliberately removed’
Labels and other identifiers, like batch numbers, had been “deliberately removed” from the mounds of medical waste recently found dumped along the Eastern Cape’s...
SA company gears up to produce vaginal ring
That a Johannesburg company – Kiara Health – will start manufacturing affordable and flexible silicone rings to protect women from HIV is a crucial...
Bodycams for NHS nurses after surge in patient abuse
A London NHS trust is giving its nurses body-worn cameras and asking the public to be kinder to its healthcare staff, after violence and...
SA doctors earn 40 times more than African counterparts
Doctors working in South Africa’s state clinics and hospitals are heavily underpaid, according to the South African Medical Association (SAMA) – yet they earn...
Murdered Dobsonville GP had been attacked before
A well-known Dobsonville doctor, who was fatally shot in a robbery at his practice in Soweto last weekend, had continued to serve his community...
Asthma drug sanctioned for serious food allergies
Food allergies for products like milk, eggs, walnuts and peanuts could be more easily tolerated with a drug newly approved by the US Food...
Theatre lists cut as Western Cape hospital battle slashed budgets
The impact of national budget cuts on services has been flagged by the Western Cape’s tertiary hospitals, which have highlighted the restriction on filling...
Health budget brings NHI a step closer
In his budget speech last week, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said R848bn has been set aside for the public health system over the medium...
Jobless healthcare workers march to Union Buildings
Hundreds of fed-up, unemployed healthcare workers marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Monday, demanding jobs, no national budget cuts in the Health...
Health Department considers six-month ARV supplies to meet targets
South Africa is behind target on efforts to ensure 95% of people with HIV are on sustained treatment, and in an attempt to remedy...
SA urges Pepfar to buy more African HIV/Aids drugs
South African pharmaceutical companies have urged the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) to shift 2m patients to made-in-Africa HIV/Aids medicines by...
Gauteng Health forensic backlog dates back to 2007
Gauteng has a backlog of 14 317 toxicology cases and 7 245 histopathology cases, dating back to 2007, the Forensic Medical Services (FMS) indaba...