News

Concerns grow over gaps in bird flu surveillance

02 Jul 2024
Reuters reported on 1 July that scientists tracking the spread of bird flu have raised concerns about gaps in surveillance, fearing it could lead to a delayed response to a potential new pandemic.
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Life Healthcare seals deal on cancer-screening tool

01 Jul 2024
Business Day (1 July 2024) reported that Life Healthcare’s subsidiary, Life Molecular Imaging (LMI), has successfully sub-licensed its early-stage novel radiotherapeutic and radio diagnostic products (RM2) to the US-based Lantheus Holdings. This follows Life Healthcare’s decision to retain LMI within its portfolio after selling Alliance Medical Group for R21bn. Under the terms of the agreement, Lantheus will pay an upfront fee of $35m (approximately R650 million) for the sub-licensing rights.
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India to encourage production diabetes and obesity drugs

01 Jul 2024
Indian companies may soon start manufacturing the obesity drug Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic with support from the government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. This will follow the expiring of Novo Nordisk’s patent on semaglutide drugs in India by 2026. “Drugmakers globally are eager to tap into the weight-loss drug market, which is projected to reach $100bn by the decade’s end.”
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Motsoaledi reappointed as Health Minister –

01 Jul 2024
Dr Aaron Motsoaledi was reappointed as new Minister of Health in the Government of National Unity, with Joe Phaahla, as his deputy. Motsoaledi’s first became Minister of Health in May 2009.
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US charges 193 people in $2.75bn health care fraud bust

01 Jul 2024
Reuters (28 June 2024) reported that the US Justice Department has charged 193 individuals, including 76 medical professionals, in healthcare fraud schemes totalling $2.75bn. “This extensive two-week operation uncovered the illegal distribution of millions of Adderall pills and fraudulent drug and alcohol treatment schemes amounting to $176m. Thirty-six individuals were charged with telemedicine fraud, submitting over $1.1bn in false claims to Medicare.
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Western Cape introduces latest robotic surgery systems

28 Jun 2024
The Groote Schuur and Tygerberg Hospitals in the Western Cape have introduced the latest cutting-edge robotic surgery systems called the da VinciXi systems, reported Spotight (28 June 2024).
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Precision medicine to underserved communities

28 Jun 2024
A research group at the University of Pretoria, has conducted extensive studies on point-of-care diagnostics in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on areas with limited resources and underserved populations, reported The Conversation (27 June 2024).
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‘SA’s insulin pens supply dries up

27 Jun 2024
SA has run out of the human insulin pens for people with diabetes as the global pharmaceutical industry shifts production priorities to blockbuster weight-loss drugs that use a similar device for delivery, reported MedicalBrief (26 June 2024).
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Obesity drugs show promise in combatting substance abuse

27 Jun 2024
Recent data reveals that new obesity drugs, such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, may also help reduce alcohol and smoking habits, highlighting their potential role in addiction treatment. – Bloomberg (26 June 2024) Although 1 in 6 Americans have an addiction, the pharmaceutical industry prioritises obesity treatments, which are expected to generate $93bn in sales by 2030A.
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NHLS suffers IT disruption following cyberattack

26 Jun 2024
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) experienced a significant disruption in all its internal and external IT systems due to an attempted ransomware attack by an unidentified actor over the past weekend, reported News24 (26 June 2024).
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Junior doctors complain about exam scripts

26 Jun 2024
Health-e News (26 June 2024) reported that 70% of foreign-trained doctors who took board exams in October 2023 and February 2024 failed. However, around 250 junior doctors have identified discrepancies in their examination scripts.
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Revolutionary HIV prevention method

26 Jun 2024
Results from a recent trial revealed that an injectable antiretroviral drug, administered twice a year, can effectively prevent HIV infection in women, reported Health-e News (26 June 2024). According to Professor Thesla Palanee-Phillips, from Wits, it is the first HIV prevention trial ever to show zero HIV infections with an intervention. “The study compared the effectiveness of the injectable drug lenacapavir with two oral drugs, Descovy and Truvada, taken daily.
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Discovery Life claims back to pre-Covid levels

19 Apr 2024
“Discovery Life distributed R10.3bn to its clients, a decrease from the R11bn paid the previous year,” reported Business Day (19April 2024)
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Hundreds of websites found selling fake weight-loss drugs

16 Apr 2024
Reuters reported on 15 April that the cybersecurity company BrandShield has shut down over 250 websites selling counterfeit versions of popular drugs used for weight loss and diabetes treatment within the GLP-1 class.
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RAF bid to appeal judgment on claim requirements

06 Dec 2023
On 5 December 2023 the Pretoria High Court rejected the Road Accident Fund’s (RAF) request to reconsider a previous verdict from November, reported Business Day. “The ruling mandated eliminating the stringent new requirements for filing claims outlined in a 2021 board notice.”
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