Stavros Nicolaou
In the news
Black market weight-loss drug sellers are moving fast. SA’s regulators are struggling to keep up
As the demand for weight-loss injections surges, compounded copycats and unlicensed drugs like retatrutide are flooding South Africa's market. Regulators are racing to introduce…
Crackdown on illegal weight loss drugs
Pharmaceutical industry leaders and South African regulators have demanded urgent crackdowns, seizures, and arrests to curb the dangerous open sale of unregistered weight loss…
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…
#Aids2026: Daily pill. Monthly pill. Six-monthly jab. Why choice matters
For the first time, Merck has granted generic manufacturers, including three African companies, permission to produce an investigational monthly HIV prevention pill, alimatravir,…
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…