Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
South African Health Products Regulatory AuthorityIn the news
South Africa’s first generic semaglutide injection launched in August — and Sahpra is considering 13 more applications. Photo: Haberdoedas Photography/Pexels 
PUBLIC HEALTH

The first generic weight loss drug hit SA in August — with many expected to follow. Will it be enough to kill the black market?

As patents expire, generic versions of blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic arrive in South Africa. But will price drops be enough to end the dangerous black…

  • Tanya Pampalone
  • Mia Malan
  • Anna-Maria van Niekerk
15 min read
HIV PREVENTION

#Aids2026: Bhekisisa analysed SA’s first LEN roll-out data. Here's what it found

South Africa accounts for over half of all lenacapavir (LEN) users in Africa, with health department data revealing 31,297 of the continent's roughly 60,000 users are in the…

  • Mia Malan
  • Linda Pretorius
  • Karen Harkema
11 min read
Trust: The legal dispute involving Novo Nordisk and iDexis has intensified these competing narratives.
HEALTHCARE

As it rages, the semaglutide debate exposes public trust deficit in healthcare

The contentious debate around semaglutide in South African healthcare extends beyond its use for obesity and type 2 diabetes, exposing deep-seated issues of access,…

  • Sinenhlanhla Jimoh
7 min read
The recall of iDexus has become the subject of legal proceedings, with the pharmaceutical company denying it posed a health risk.
HEALTH REGULATION

Regulators tighten noose on recalled GLP-1 medicines

South Africa's health regulators have warned doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals that they face disciplinary action for continuing to prescribe or dispense…

  • Hasina Kathrada
2 min read
PUBLIC HEALTH

Illegal weight loss drug floods SA

An investigation uncovers a rapidly growing, highly lucrative shadow market in South Africa for unapproved weight-loss drugs like Retatrutide, sold openly online and in gyms…

  • Hasina Kathrada
9 min read
The electronic cigarette industry arrived in the country with lots of hype and no regulation more than a decade ago. Today, the vape industry is thriving, with no guardrails in place and a growing teenage addiction problem. Photo: Olena Bohovyk/Pexels
VAPING

The nicotine Wild West: How SA birthed the next generation of nicotine addicts

More than a decade after electronic cigarettes arrived in South Africa with no regulation, the vape industry continues to thrive unchecked, leading to a growing teenage addiction…

  • Tanya Pampalone
9 min read