HomeWeekly Roundup
Weekly Roundup
FDA gives approval for Janssen's Symtuza
Janssen announced that it has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Symtuza, a once-daily, single-tablet, darunavir-based HIV-1 regimen for treatment-naive and...
Teva launches first biosimilar drug in SA
More than five years after it first sought regulatory approval, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has become the first company to launch a biosimilar drug in...
'Alarming' increase in infant mortality rate in England and Wales
Deaths data for England and Wales shows that infant mortality increased for the first time since 2011 last year amid signs that decades worth...
SSA makes most progress in fight against HIV — UNAIDS report
Sub-Saharan Africa has made the most progress against HIV, cutting the rate of new infections by 30% in the past seven years in contrast...
European authorities warn of pneumonia epidemic in the Canaries
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has issued a warning a real epidemic is at risk after 13 Swedish and Norwegian...
HSRC releases its annual survey on HIV infections in SA
New HIV infections in South Africa have fallen by 44% in the last five years, the country’s latest HIV household survey found. Bhekisisa reports...
Celebrity Brazilian plastic surgeon on the run after woman's dealth
A celebrity Brazilian plastic surgeon known as Dr Bumbum has gone on the run after a woman died following injections he gave her to...
Royal College says NHS is 'clueless' about manning levels
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) “hasn’t got a clue” how many doctors and other health professionals it needs to safely staff its wards,...
SA's medical aids won't have to pay out for 'gaming disorder'
Medical aids in South Africa will not have to provide cover for “gaming disorder” when the World Health Organisation (WHO) releases its latest International...
Public Health England review on exercise identifies the Cinderella activities
Walking 10,000 steps a day is just not enough, according to a Public Health England review of evidence, with few taking on board the need...
Nelson Mandela Bay has only a third of the ambulances it needs
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has only 35 of the 115 operational ambulances it is supposed to have according to national Health Department requirements. The...
Review of HIV research over the past year
This has been an important year for HIV research. There were five new approvals of new drugs or fixed dose combinations (FDCs), including the...
Amazon looks to disrupt medical-supplies marketplace
Amazon.com has global aspirations for its medical-supplies marketplace, according to a job listing posted on its website, highlighting the e-commerce giant’s sweeping ambitions to...
Durban paramedics 'shaken' after gun attack
Two paramedics count themselves lucky for escaping a gun attack unscathed while on duty at the Durban beachfront recently, reports The Times. The Midlands...
Limpopo Health apologises for HIV 'death by choice' tweet
The Limpopo Health Department has apologised for a tweet from its official Twitter account claiming that anyone who dies of HIV today does so...
KZN Health defends its capacity to perform eye surgery
The KwaZulu-Natal Health Department has conceded that there were problems in providing patients with vital eye surgery – but said it was “doing its...
260 medical students return from Cuba
A total of 260 students sent to study medicine in Cuba have returned to South Africa and will soon be helping with the health...
The numbers: HIV and TB in South Africa
What are the key numbers regarding the HIV and TB epidemics in South Africa? On this page we keep track of all the latest...
SA's heterosexuals exacerbate mental illness in LGBTI communities
Many South Africans still consider the lesbian gay bisexual transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community to be different, abnormal or sinister. “This leads to LGBTI...
Western Cape has highest doctor-per-resident ratio in SA
Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi, has revealed that the Democratic Alliance (DA)-run Western Cape has the highest doctor-per-resident ratio in the country. Patricia Kopane,...
Exhausted junior doctors putting patients' safety at risk — NHS survey
Patients in the UK are being put at risk by “stark” levels of exhaustion among junior doctors, laid bare in the first major survey...
New glycaemic control medication introduced to SA market
Boehringer Ingelheim is introducing Jardiance® (empagliflozin) to the South African market. The oral, once-daily prescription medication is registered for improving glycaemic control in adults...
Increasing need for mental healthcare for ageing South Africans
About three in every 10 South Africans over 60 will need medication for mental health in the future. The Times reports that this is...
GE joins with Lagos state to boost healthcare infrastructure in Nigeria
General Electric (GE) the world’s premier digital industrial company and the Lagos State Government have agreed to pool their resources for the development of...
UK's NHS the first to routinely offer genomic medicine
People in England will have access to DNA tests on an unprecedented scale from the autumn when the National Health Service (NHS) becomes the...
Trump defends reported US attempt to undermine WHO breastfeeding measures
US President Donald Trump has defended US efforts to reportedly undermine a World Health Organisation (WHO) measure in support of breastfeeding, reports BBC News....
Police, NPA dispute initiation death responsibilities
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has been accused of refusing to prosecute suspects linked to traditional initiation cases, resulting in illegal surgeons who may...
Listeriosis cases dropping, facilities screening implemented – NICD
Fewer than five listeriosis cases per week have been reported for the last four weeks‚ The Times reports the National Listeria Incident Management Team...
Hawks get 'new instructions' from NPA in Hlongwa investigation
The Hawks say the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has given them new instructions in their investigations into corruption allegations against former Gauteng Health MEC...
Limpopo Health fails to have R100m irregular expenditure written off
The cash-strapped Limpopo Health Department has tried – and failed – to have nearly R100m worth of irregular expenditure written off by the provincial...
Eleven attacks on Eastern Cape ambulances in four weeks
The Eastern Cape Health Department – outraged by continuous attacks on ambulances in the province – has come up with a plan to combat...
Body cameras for paramedics to protect against violent attacks
Paramedics in the UK will be issued with body-worn cameras to help protect them from violent attacks, The Guardian reports Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt...
Allegations that MSF staff bartered medicines for sex in Africa
Aid workers for charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are alleged to have used prostitutes and bartered medicines for sex in Kenya, Liberia and Central...
Health MEC blames union strike for baby's death
One month. That’s all the time she had with her precious baby girl before she died waiting for medical attention at a clinic. And...
Township private hospital group 'excited' about the NHI
The first black-owned township private hospital group is not only “excited” about the prospect of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill coming into effect,...
Zambia takes strides towards eradication of malaria
Zambia aims to eradicate malaria, the country's biggest killer, within three years after deaths from the disease halved last year from 2014. Polity reports...
Half of women in science and medicine sexually harassed — US study
When the #MeToo movement tore the veil of silence drawn around victims of sexual harassment last year‚ the world sat up and took notice....
Baby dies after pain relief patch becomes attached to her skin
A baby girl has died in the UK after her mother’s powerful pain relief patch apparently became attached to the child’s skin as the...
Rival Gilead and Novartis cancer therapies get EMA recommendation
Rival cancer cell therapies from Swiss drugmaker Novartis and US-based Gilead Sciences have won a key recommendation from a European Medicines Agency panel, likely...
Imperial College and MIT launch search for African 'blue-sky' research
Imperial College London and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are launching a search for collaborating institutions in Africa to drive innovation from across...