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Pharmaceutical
SAHPRA grants Mounjaro jab approval for weight loss
Aspen Pharmacare has received approval from the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) for the diabetes treatment drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide) as a chronic weight...
Indian firm to buy chunk of pharma giant Adcock
India-listed Natco Pharma has been given the green light to buy a significant stake in Adcock Ingram, with the South African company’s shareholders voting...
Dis-Chem changes boost investor confidence
A new phase of maturity is anticipated for Dis-Chem with its ongoing leadership transition, with experts predicting that the changes could help reignite investor...
Tramadol offers limited relief, risks serious side effects – Danish review
The strong opioid painkiller tramadol is not that effective at easing chronic pain for which it's widely prescribed, finds a pooled data analysis of...
‘Alarming’ rise of superbugs in newborn babies – Australian study
The war against drug-resistant microbes is not going very well, warned scientists after a recent study on escalating antibiotic resistance and “superbugs” affecting newborn...
Too soon to dismiss concerns about acetaminophen and autism?
The hullaballoo over the acetaminophen (known in South Africa as paracetamol) and autism issue, and the warnings issued by the Trump administration on its...
Approval for first drug in a decade for deadly lung disease
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved nerandomilast (Jascayd) tablets for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the first new product for the progressive lung condition...
SAHPRA backs safety of paracetamol
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has confirmed that paracetamol remains a safe and recommended option for treating pain and fever during...
SA launches WHO-backed plan to combat rise of counterfeit meds
A national action plan to fight the alarming rise of fake and sub-standard medicines in South Africa will be implemented from next year, aimed...
CDC flags surge of infections from drug-resistant bacteria
Health officials in the United States have warned that infections from dangerous bacteria, which are resistant to some of the strongest antibiotics available, have...
Non-hormonal pill eases menopause symptoms, study finds
Menopausal hot flushes and night sweats were significantly reduced for women taking a non-hormonal pill from Bayer in a late-stage trial, researchers have reported,...
Cambridge clinical trial offers hope of new MS therapies
Early results from a Cambridge clinical trial have suggested that a common diabetes drug taken with an antihistamine can partially repair damage in the...
Arthritis pill could delay diabetes progression – Australian trial
A two-year Australian trial has found that a daily pill commonly prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis and alopecia could also slow the progression of type 1 diabetes.
The Independent reports that...
SA expert groups dismiss Trump's paracetamol link to autism
South African health professional groups have added their voices to the global outcry against the Trump administration urging pregnant women against using paracetamol (or...
Aspen banks on Mounjaro as workers face the chop
Aspen Pharmacare, South Africa’s largest pharmaceutical company, is awaiting regulatory approval to roll out diabetic drug Mounjaro for weight loss, but the bad news is...
GLP-1 drugs now on WHO’s essential medicines list
GLP-1 drugs to treat diabetes as well as treatments for cystic fibrosis and cancer have been added to the World Health Organisation’s essential medicines...
Are prescription drugs to blame for increasing falls among the elderly?
Some researchers believe that rising prescription medication use may explain a disturbing trend – an escalation in falls and fractures among older people –...
Pre-schoolers given ADHD meds too soon – US analysis
Nearly half of all American pre-scholars with ADHD are prescribed medication too soon – within 30 days of diagnosis – according to a retrospective analysis...
Paracetamol link to autism rears again
For more than a decade, studies of the use of acetaminophen (known as paracetamol in South Africa) in pregnancy – including a recent scientific...
FDA approves first-in-class drug for fibromyalgia
The FDA has approved cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride sublingual tablets (Tonmya, Tonix Pharmaceuticals), a first-in-class, non-opioid treatment for adults with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome that affects more than 10m Americans,...
Breast cancer pill extends survival in seven-year trial – Lilly
A breakthrough therapy for advanced breast cancer also works well in the early stages, improving survival outcomes for patients, according to Lilly Oncology, which says its...
SA companies lose out on ARV drugs tender
The National Department of Health’s decision to give the lion’s share of the latest R15.5bn Aids drug tender to Aspen Pharmacare but shun many...
Diabetes drugs tied to optic nerve disorder risk – US study
Experts are urging screening and monitoring for eye disease for all patients on GLP-1 receptor agonists, after a large retrospective study suggested the risk...
Dentists warn of new GLP-1 side effect
Patients using GLP-1 drugs are reporting a complication not listed among the drug’s most common side effects, according to some experts, with dentists warning they’re...
Weight-loss drug Wegovy debuts in SA
Novo Nordisk introduced its weight-loss drug Wegovy in South Africa last Thursday, marking its debut in Africa and stepping up competition with Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, which...
FDA green-lights chronic lung disease treatment
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved oral brensocatib (Brinsupri) as the first treatment for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in adults and children 12...
FDA grants priority review for oral gonorrhoea antibiotic
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted British pharmaceutical company GSK’s application for priority review of gepotidacin as an oral option for...
MHRA approves teplizumab to delay diabetes progression
Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved teplizumab (Tzield) to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes (T1D) by...
Common painkiller tied to heart failure risk in seniors – US study
An anti-seizure medication prescribed for common pain has been linked to an increased risk of heart failure, particularly in people with a history of...
ADHD drugs have wider life benefits – Swedish-UK study
Medication can help people newly diagnosed with ADHD to reduce their risk of substance misuse, suicidal behaviour, transport accidents and criminality, scientists have suggested.
The...
Calls for probe into cystic fibrosis drugmaker to be reopened
Health lobbyists are demanding that the Competition Commission reopen its investigation into the manufacturers of Trikafta, for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, which is expected to...
SA pharmacists help send medicines to Gaza, war-torn countries
South African pharmacists have joined an international humanitarian effort to deliver life-saving medicines to Gaza and parts of Africa affected by crisis and displacement,...
UK flags continuing epilepsy drug prescriptions despite risks
The Chief Safety Officer at the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has echoed concerns about persistent sodium valproate prescribing for pregnant women.
Britain’s...
Trump demands drug companies slash prices in 60 days
President Donald Trump has given an ultimatum to Big Pharma to reduce its exorbitant prices, posting letters to more than a dozen major drug...
First malaria treatment for babies a major step – SA biochemist
Last month, the first malaria treatment for babies and children of two months up to five years was approved for use by the Swiss...
Pharma firm defends online-only warning for antibiotic
A Johannesburg man who suffered four tendon ruptures has accused Cipla Medpro of deliberately not disclosing adverse events associated with an antibiotic it markets...
Weight-loss drugs race now enters new phase
An improved, new generation of weight-loss drugs may be just over the horizon, hopefully signalling an end to the typical “deflated balloon” look of...
New drug could halt Alzheimer’s
Research presented at the recent Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto offers hope that a new drug could halt the progression of the disease,...
Animal manure packed with antibiotic resistant genes – 14-year global study
A massive collaborative study undertaken by Chinese and US researchers – who sampled 4 017 manure specimens from pigs, chickens and cattle in 26...
Study flags high colistin-resistant Klebsiella rates in Africa
Researchers have expressed alarm over Africa’s high levels of resistance to a last-resort antibiotic in an already multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogen, according to their...