Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau said Government is prioritising pharmaceutical localisation to strengthen industrial capacity and reduce dependence on imports. Vaccine producer Biovac is central to this strategy, with plans to expand production for local and export markets. – Business Times (31 May 2026)
However, industry leaders warned that public procurement increasingly favours imports over locally manufactured medicines.
AstraZeneca stressed that specialised innovative medicines, particularly in areas like oncology and injectable treatments, may still need to be sourced globally. They argue that sustainable local production depends on sufficient demand across SA and the broader African market.
Minister Tau said foreign investors remain interested in the sector but warned that some funding arrangements require local companies to source products or inputs from Europe, potentially undermining domestic manufacturing goals.
According to Pharmaceuticals Manufactured in SA, local manufacturers’ share of public pharmaceutical tenders has fallen dramatically over the past decade, with imported products increasingly dominating contracts.