Following on Ascendis Health's successful listing on the JSE Main Board in the pharmaceutical sector at the end of last week, the company has announced the 100% acquisition of specialist medical device company, Surgical Innovations for R336 million. 27 Nov 2013
The amendment of the General Regulations Made in Terms of the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965, published in the Government Gazette on 15 November 2013, is largely aimed at bringing complementary medicines into the ambit of Act; however, there are also consequences for the manufacturers of allopathic medicines. 22 Nov 2013
Litha's factory approval has delayed its vaccine manufacturing plans. Image: Baitong333 Free Digital Photos
Litha Healthcare says it is still awaiting regulatory approval for its vaccine manufacturing facility‚ and is unlikely to start making its own hepatitis B vaccines before the end of next year. 16 Nov 2013
Death threats, fraud and dodgy medicine will take centre stage in the trial of a Zimbabwean-based doctor accused of stealing from the company he once headed. 4 Nov 2013
The world's first malaria vaccine for children could be on sale by 2015. 10 Oct 2013
South Africans will need to produce identification when buying medication containing codeine, Clicks said over the weekend. 7 Oct 2013
LONDON, UK: AstraZeneca said on Tuesday (27 August) that it has agreed to buy US-based cancer drugs company Amplimmune, as the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical group seeks to bolster its flagging pipeline of new products. 28 Aug 2013
LONDON, UK: AstraZeneca said on Tuesday that it has agreed to buy US-based cancer drugs company Amplimmune, as the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals group seeks to bolster its flagging pipeline of new products. 27 Aug 2013
YAOUNDE, CAMEROON: From Cameroon to Ivory Coast, Kenya to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), traders in counterfeit drugs do a thriving business with the utmost cynicism and sometimes at the cost of human lives. 24 Aug 2013
The local cost of healthcare in South Africa continues to spiral, as its lax patent regime lags behind international developments, hampering access to affordable treatment. Brazil has moved to crack down on anti-competitive behaviour in the pharmaceutical industry, but there is little promise that local patients will soon benefit from similar interventions. 30 Jul 2013
Medical schemes spent 0.6% less on medicine in 2012, than in the previous year, Mediscor Pharmaceutical Benefit Management (PBM) said on Tuesday (9 July). 11 Jul 2013
Aspen Group‚ the ninth largest generic pharmaceutical company in the world and the biggest in Africa‚ has signed an agreement with MSD to buy its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing business in the Netherlands. 28 Jun 2013
A new initiative to counteract the risk of codeine misuse through over-the-counter medicine will greatly assist healthcare professionals in making self-medication even safer, says the Self-Medication Manufacturers Association of South Africa (SMASA). 27 Jun 2013
WASHINGTON, USA: Manufacturers of generic drugs cannot be sued for adverse side effects caused by products that they did not themselves design, the US Supreme Court ruled on Monday (24 June). 26 Jun 2013
SA's biggest generic drug manufacturer Aspen Pharmacare has offered to buy GlaxoSmithKline's thrombosis drugs and their associated manufacturing site‚ in a potential deal which it says could generate turnover of £300m a year. 19 Jun 2013
WASHINGTON, USA: The Obama administration said this week it would comply with a judge's order to allow women and girls of any age to purchase emergency contraception, ending its efforts to restrict the drug's availability. 12 Jun 2013
WASHINGTON, USA: GlaxoSmithKline's controversial diabetes drug Avandia, restricted in the US and banned in Europe over concerns it raises heart attack risk, is getting a second look this week by US medical experts. 6 Jun 2013
How our bodies break down the common drugs ibuprofen, diclofenac and warfarin is the subject of a new study from the University of Bristol, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The research should ultimately help predict how new drugs will be metabolized in the body, potentially helping avoid adverse drug reactions in future. 28 May 2013
WASHINGTON, USA: American authorities said on Monday (13 May) that a US$500m fine would be imposed on Indian generic pharmaceutical manufacturer Ranbaxy after it pleaded guilty to selling adulterated drugs in the United States. 15 May 2013
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
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