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Weekly Roundup
FDA approves biosimilar rheumatoid arthritis drug
South Korea's Samsung Bioepis has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration approved its copy of Johnson & Johnson's rheumatoid arthritis drug Remicade,...
SA-developed theranostic technology to diagnose and treat cancer
The privately owned biotechnology company BGM Pharma has entered into a landmark partnership with the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) and the University...
HPCSA investigating doctors issuing false sick notes
False medical certificates issued by corrupt doctors are costing the economy more than R12bn annually and have resulted in an investigation by the Health...
Doctors join protest against EnviroServe landfill site
Dozens of doctors, specialists and school principals have given their support to a fresh legal challenge aimed at completely shutting down a landfill site...
The global tobacco epidemic is far from over – Study
One in 10 deaths around the world is caused by smoking, reports The Guardian. And a major study shows that the tobacco epidemic is far...
Mechanical pump could reverse heart damage, say scientists
Fitting heart failure patients with mechanical heart pumps could actually heal their organ and avoid the need for a transplant, UK scientists have found,...
Large fall in HIV diagnoses in London gay men not just due to PrEP
The number of new HIV diagnoses in gay men attending five key London clinics fell substantially during 2015 and 2016, Valerie Delpech of Public...
Campaign to teach traditional healers how to conduct HIV/Aids tests
KwaZulu-Natal Health, together with an NGO called Integration of TB in Education and Care for HIV and Aids – known as I-TEACH – have embarked on...
Young girl loses leg to necrotising fasciitis
A little girl in the US who loved to dance lost her leg after a common throat infection developed into a dangerous ‘flesh-eating’ bug,...
New HIV, TB and STIs plan fails to tackle some of epidemic drivers
The new plan to guide South Africa’s fight against HIV, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections fails to address some of “the drivers of the...
FDA gives accelerated approval to metastatic MCC treatment
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to the checkpoint inhibitor Bavencio (avelumab) for the treatment of patients with metastatic...
Rise in young South Africans afflicted with and dying of cancer
More young South Africans‚ in their twenties and thirties‚ are being afflicted with or are dying from cancer‚ often because of late diagnosis, reports The...
New EU task force to explore using big data to improve health
A new task force has been set up to explore how medicines regulators in the EU can use big data to improve human and...
Relaxing of NHS targets on non-urgent surgery condemned
Patients in the UK will face longer delays for operations after the National Health Service (NHS) decided to shelve one of its most important...
England's football authorities invite research into brain disease risk
England's football authorities have invited applications for independent research into whether playing the sport heightens the risk of degenerative brain disease in later life.
Sport24...
Definition of 'the business of a medical scheme' amended
An amended definition of “the business of a medical scheme” provided in section 264 of the 2013 Financial Services Laws General Amendment Act will...
Top HIV scientists for Global Fellows Research Academy workshop
Around 25 talented early- to mid-career investigators and clinical scientists who are conducting HIV research in developing countries will be awarded fellowships to attend...
HIV prevention pill available in Tshwane for men who have sex with men
Men who have sex with men will soon be able to get the HIV prevention pill in Tshwane, says a Bhekisisa report.
As of 1...
Adcock Ingram acquisition aims to improve pharmaceutical distribution
Adcock Ingram Healthcare (Pty) Ltd said in a press release that it has acquired Virtual Logistics (Pty) Ltd, a national and cross-border fine distribution company, effective from...
Thirty new UK scholarships for Sub-Saharan Africa health students
Thirty new scholarships will be awarded over 10 years to students from Sub-Saharan Africa, thanks to a £1.3m gift to the London School of...
UK GPs accused of ignoring gynaecological complaints
Nearly half of women in the UK need to visit their GP 10 times before being diagnosed with common gynaecological complaints, with doctors often...
Doctor suspended for suspect qualifications
A doctor from a prominent Pietermaritzburg family, whose qualifications recently came under scrutiny, has been suspended by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
According...
Mpumalanga clinic employees arrested on suspicion of stealing ARVs
Months after a lay counsellor who used to work for the Department of Health at Kanyamazane Clinic in Mpumalanga was arrested, two more employees have been...
Counselling offered after patient goes on rampage in Umhlanga
Netcare Umhlanga Hospital has offered counselling to staff and patients in a maternity ward which was vandalised by a man on Tuesday morning. According...
NHS announces new food and medicine cuts to rescue finances
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is to stop giving patients travel vaccinations, gluten-free foods and some drugs that can be bought over the...
Combination of experimental and other drug slows breast cancer progression
Eli Lilly and Co's combination of its experimental breast cancer drug and another widely used treatment slowed disease progression in patients who relapsed or...
Mother believes negligence led to KZN baby's arm amputation
A Shakas Head woman is heartbroken after what she believes to be negligence at Stanger Hospital resulted in her newborn baby having his right...
UK regulators grant licence for three-parent IVF technique
Britain's fertility regulator has granted doctors the first UK licence to create babies using a three-parent IVF technique designed to prevent inherited genetic diseases....
Union highlights 'dismal' security at Eastern Cape hospitals
The 'dismal' state of safety and security management at public health institutions in the Eastern Cape is in the spotlight following a rape of...
Poor conditions at Joburg academic hospital concern staff
Staff at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital are extremely concerned by the poor condition of some parts of the facility – believing lives...
HPCSA campaign on patient rights regarding treatment negligence
Patients who are badly treated at Limpopo hospitals are failing to report negligence or misconduct, prompting the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)...
'Significant success' in reducing TB and HIV/Aids in SA's prisons
Data presented at a five-day stakeholder meeting shows 'significant success in screening and treatment for tuberculosis in Free State, Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal prisons.
Inmates...
R6m to transfer Life Esidimeni patients from unlicensed NGOs
It is costing Gauteng Health R6m to transfer the more than 700 surviving Life Esidimeni patients out of unlicensed NGOs, MEC Gwen Ramokgopa...
Experts want cancer treatments trialled in children
Cancer scientists say EU rules should be changed so that adult cancer drugs have to be tested on children, reports BBC News.
Children with cancer...
Bottled water consumption overtakes sugared drinks in the US
It's official: Americans are now drinking more bottled water than soda. Reuters Health reports that according to research from consulting firm Beverage Marketing Corp,...
Otsuka to provide TB wonder drug to SA for free, for now
Otsuka Pharmaceutical won’t charge South Africa for using its new tuberculosis (TB) drug, delanimid, oneof the first new TB medicines to be developed in...
MEC blames contractor 'negligence' for hospital roof collapse
The roof collapse at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, which injured five people has been blamed on 'negligence' by the contractors, Thanzanani Trading...
Dr Google to the rescue of foreign NHS locum doctor
A foreign locum doctor with very poor English was spotted using Google to check medical terminology at work, an official report from the UK’s...
First mentally ill patients transferred out of unlicensed facilities
The first group of 27 mentally ill patients formerly treated at Life Esidimeni before being moved to unlicensed facilities, arrived at the Clinix Selby...
Gauteng increases mental healthcare budget
Gauteng has increased its budget for mental healthcare from R700m to R894.8m, Finance MEC Barbara Creecy said during her recent budget speech.
"As provincial treasury, we...