Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
iDexisIn 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
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
Costly legal weight-loss drugs are fuelling a black market in unregistered versions, including retatrutide — an experimental medicine still in trials. (Anna-Maria van Niekerk)
PUBLIC HEALTH
Video

Health Beat #39 | Inside SA's illegal weight-loss drug trade

South Africa faces a surge in illegal weight-loss drugs, as expensive GLP-1 medicines drive a black market for cheaper, untested versions. This trend raises serious health…

  • Anna-Maria van Niekerk
  • Mia Malan
  • Jessica Pitchford
  • Justin Barlow
  • Albert Tibane
  • Jeannine Snyman
2 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