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Pharmaceutical
Ancient bacteria strain found in ice resistant to antibiotics
In a fascinating discovery, scientists have found that ancient bacteria preserved in ice for thousands of years are unaffected by modern-day antibiotics, reports CNN.
In...
Controversial UK puberty blockers trial on hold after concerns
A clinical trial assessing the risks and benefits of puberty-blocking drugs in children questioning their gender has been paused after safety concerns were raised...
New drug holds promise for pre-eclampsia
A new drug for a dangerous condition that affects pregnant women, threatening not just their health but their babies’ lives as well, could transform...
WHO flags data risks with rapid escalation of AI in healthcare
A WHO report on a five-year digital transformation strategy framework was the focus of a debate last week over who owns the data in...
Surprising link between aspirin, cancer deaths – ASPREE trial follow-up
A team of researchers has suggested that low-dose aspirin was not associated with a reduced incidence of cancer in older adults, but was associated...
Statin pills safer than advertised, major British review finds
Cholesterol-lowering statins, used by millions, are far safer than previously thought, a major review has found, with the authors suggesting packaging leaflets should be...
Aids drug supply resumes as Barrs exits business rescue
Barrs Pharmaceuticals, which was unable to supply its share of the government’s Aids drug tender, has exited business rescue and sold a controlling stake...
FDA halts two gene therapy trials after child develops brain tumour
Two investigational gene therapies for rare paediatric diseases have been put on hold by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) after a child...
Semaglutide shows heart benefits in key group – global study
An analysis by an international team of researchers has concluded that taking oral semaglutide may reduce heart-related hospitalisations and deaths among those with a...
SA sales of weight-loss drugs surge amid global rise in lawsuits
Sales of weight-loss drugs are sky-rocketing in South Africa, as it has in other parts of the world. But as the popularity of the...
CMS rules on healthcare products branding in Dis-Chem dispute
Dis-Chem has defended its health insurance partnership with Centriq and Kaelo insurance products, saying a recent regulatory ruling should be seen as a clarification...
Leucovorin for autism not backed by evidence, say experts
American doctors have warned that despite Trump administration claims and suggestions, leucovorin (Wellcovorin), a drug used to treat cerebral folate deficiency, will be used...
Life-changing sleep apnoea pill could be available next year
There’s hope on the horizon for the hordes of people worldwide who suffer from sleep apnoea as Apnimed, the $400m company behind the first...
Suppliers’ business rescue threatens critical medicines supply
The supply of critical medicines, including the three-in-one anti-Aids drug taken by most HIV patients, and morphine, is under threat after suppliers were placed...
Aspen sets its sights on Canada for generic weight-loss jabs
Aspen Pharmacare is gearing up to launch one of the world’s first generic versions of Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide in Canada, where the GLP-1 weight-loss...
Major Lancet review debunks paracetamol, autism claims
Taking paracetamol while pregnant is safe and there is no evidence it increases the risk of autism, ADHD and developmental issues in children, say...
Dementia patients prescribed harmful drugs – US study
Despite the associated dangers, one in four dementia patients in the United States is still receiving a potentially inappropriate drug prescription, an analysis of...
KZN Health reverses pharmacy intern freeze after outcry
The financially-stricken KwaZulu-Natal Health Department has done an about-turn on its controversial decision to freeze pharmacy internship posts – announced this past weekend –...
FDA asks drugmakers to remove suicide warnings from GLP-1 labels
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has asked Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to remove warnings about suicidal ideation or behaviour from the...
‘Stuffy nose’ nasal spray warning in UK
Britain’s Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has issued a warning to the public about using nasal sprays for blocked noses beyond a week, reminding users...
People who stop weight-loss jabs regain weight in two years – UK study
A landmark study, led by researchers from Oxford University, has found that people who stop taking weight loss jabs regain all of the weight...
How ADHD drugs really work – US study
The stimulants Ritalin and Adderall have been used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for decades, but research shows they don’t act on the brain’s...
Weight-loss drugs top pharma list to watch in 2026
Eli Lilly has dominated headlines in recent months, recently taking the crown as the most valuable company in the biopharma industry by market cap....
Alzheimer’s drug developers accuse trial sites of faking data
A pharmaceutical research scandal revealing that clinical trials of Alzheimer’s drugs may have contained fudged and faked data has cast doubt on the companies...
Hidden market fuels fake script industry
The illegal prescription business is flourishing in South Africa, posing increasing public health and economic risks, warn experts, who urge greater effort to combat...
New warning added to contraceptive drug label as lawsuits rise
With more than 1 800 lawsuits linked to Pfizer’s Depo-Provera contraceptive drug, the US Food & Drug Administration is now officially warning users of a...
FDA green-lights Wegovy weight-loss pill
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist for weight loss and to reduce the...
Aspen cuts debt with R26.51bn deal
South Africa’s largest pharmaceutical producer, Aspen Pharmacare, has announced it will sell its Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific assets, excluding China, to Australian...
Urgent need for new ways to develop medicines
It’s imperative, urges an editorial in The Guardian, that the quest to discover new medicines be accelerated. Our magic bullets are increasingly rare and...
FDA approves second antibiotic for gonorrhoea
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light to zoliflodacin (Nuzolvence) as an oral treatment for gonorrhoea, a day after...
Millions lost to dangerous fake drugs, warns Motsoaledi
Sales of counterfeit and illicit medicines are thriving in South Africa, with SAHPRA having recorded 507 suspected cases in 2024/25, of which 110 were...
New obesity drug delivers higher weight loss reduced knee pain
Eli Lilly’s next generation obesity drug has delivered the highest weight loss yet in a late stage trial while reducing knee arthritis pain, clearing...
Bleeding alert for cancer patients on extended blood-thinners
Researchers who have identified four predictors of clinically relevant bleeding in patients receiving extended anticoagulation with apixaban (Eliquis) for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) said...
Positive results for chronic migraine treatment – Italian-Norwegian study
A collaborative team of Norwegian and Italian researchers has announced promising results for migraine prevention, saying a combination of onabotulinumtoxinA and atogepant was effective...
Nurse wins 'unjust dismissal' case over alleged ARV theft
A Free State nurse who was dismissed in 2021 for allegedly stealing anti-HIV medication from the MUCPP Community Health Centre in Bloemfontein has been...
Malaria tools saved 1m lives last year, but drug resistance rises – WHO
Wider use of new tools against malaria, including dual-ingredient nets and WHO-recommended vaccines, helped to prevent an estimated 170m cases and 1m deaths in...
FDA recalls BP drug for possible cross-contamination
Thousands of bottles of a commonly used prescription drug to treat hypertension have been recalled for possible contamination with another drug, reports USA Today.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, which has...
Smoother recoveries when patients exposed to music – Indian study
Researchers in India have suggested that music played during general anaesthesia can modestly but meaningfully reduce drug requirements and improve recovery, leading to among...
SA regulators battle to stem tide of illicit weight loss jabs
The booming trade in black market weight loss drugs in South Africa is spiralling, with authorities seemingly unable to plug the sources or prevent...
SA lines up plans to make its own six-monthly anti-HIV jab
The government says it could fill the potential gap in the number of doses of the HIV prevention jab Lenacapavir (LEN) needed to end...