Probe into medical costs welcomed

[Tamar Kahn] The chief executive of private hospital group Life Healthcare, Michael Flemming on Tuesday (14 May) gave a cautious welcome to the Competition Commission's looming investigation into private healthcare prices‚ saying his company would co-operate with the authorities. 16 May 2013 10:28

GSK, GAVI Alliance to supply HPV vaccine to poor countries

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced a new commitment to the GAVI Alliance to supply its cervical cancer vaccine as part of a new long term programme to help protect girls against cervical cancer in the world's poorest countries. To start the program and over the next two years, GSK will supply doses of Cervarix (Human Papillomavirus vaccine [Types 16, 18] (Recombinant, adjuvanted, adsorbed)) to four new GAVI demonstration projects at US$4.60 per dose. 9 May 2013 10:23

Biodiversity management plan for Pelargonium published

PRETORIA: Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has published the Biodiversity Management Plan for Pelargonium sidoides in South Africa 2011 - 2020 in the Government Gazette. 6 May 2013 19:32

R300m gas separation unit for Coega

[Mark Allix] Air Products SA‚ an industrial gas company‚ is to break ground in the Coega industrial development zone near Port Elizabeth next week for a R300m state-of-the-art air separation unit. 3 May 2013 08:28

Why the Novartis patent refusal puts evergreening back in the spotlight

[Rowan Forster and Kirsten Dinnes] The decision of the Indian Supreme Court to deny Novartis' application for patent protection for an improved version of its Glivec drug - the culmination of a seven-year battle - has certainly made world headlines and put the spotlight on generic drugs and the practice of evergreening, which could have a significant impact on the local pharmaceutical industry. 29 Apr 2013 06:39

Earnings and market share growth for Clicks

[Zeenat Moorad] Despite constrained consumer spending and relatively low selling price inflation‚ Clicks has strengthened its competitive position and gained market share in all of its core health and beauty markets‚ chief executive David Kneale said on Thursday (25 April). 26 Apr 2013 07:49

H7N9 vaccine may take months: US agency

SHANGHAI, CHINA: Developing a vaccine for the H7N9 strain of bird flu that has killed 10 people in eastern China could take "many months", US public health experts have said. 12 Apr 2013 18:21

Arrhythmia drug may increase cancer risk: study

WASHINGTON, USA: A common treatment for irregular heartbeats may have a serious side effect: a new study out Tuesday showed it could increase the risk for certain cancers, especially among men. 12 Apr 2013 18:10

DPP medicines still sold in Australia

[Tamar Kahn] The Australian medicines regulator has been forced to let generic drug giant Aspen Pharmacare continue selling painkillers containing the controversial ingredient dextropropoxyphene (DPP)‚ a development that local rival Adcock Ingram says could strengthen its bid to get its once highly lucrative versions back on the market in SA. 11 Apr 2013 08:47

Superbugs may invade SA hospitals

A bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics exists in wards of many South Africa's hospitals and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases says it has confirmed 63 cases of antibiotic-resistant superbugs known as Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CREs) since they first appeared in South Africa less than two years ago. 8 Apr 2013 10:34

Industrial growth on the cards for SA

[Penwell Dlamini] The latest iteration of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP), aimed at stimulating economic growth, was unveiled in Pretoria on Thursday (4 April). 5 Apr 2013 08:52

Shareholders want to see Cipla agreement

[Tamar Kahn] The supply agreement between local pharmaceutical company Cipla Medpro and Indian giant Cipla was the focus for analysts attending the company's annual results presentation on Tuesday (26 March). Analysts want to see the contract before making a decision on the offer. 27 Mar 2013 08:17

Lifesaving medicines could compromise hearing

Some medications can cause a loss of hearing, offering an ototoxic risk. A prime example is the risk associated with TB medication. 26 Mar 2013 11:19

Bizcommunity.com

Bizcommunity April 1 price freeze is no joke

[Issued by Bizcommunity.com] Believe it or not, we've made the decision to freeze most of our rates for 2013! This is not an April Fool's prank but a strategic decision in line with our core objectives to assist businesses to grow and thrive via our portfolio of publishing platforms. 26 Mar 2013 10:37