News

Prices of US pharmaceuticals to rise by 25% due to tariffs hikes

29 Apr 2025
Reuters reported on 25 Aprill that an anaysis, conducted by Ernst & Young, estimates that US drug costs could surge by nearly $51bn annually, translating to a potential price increase of up to 12.9% if these tariffs are passed on to consumers.
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NHI uncertainty exposes cracks in medical scheme system

29 Apr 2025
Against the backdrop of the State’s struggles to adequately finance existing social programmes, generating new funds for the NHI are more challenging. - Dr Anja Smith, senior researcher in the economics department at Stellenbosch University, and Claire Bisseker, an economics writer and researcher at the Bureau for Economic Research.
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Immediate threats to private practice

29 Apr 2025
On 8 April 2025 SAPPF members attended a webinar to discuss the immediate threats to private practice and in particular attempts to take control of the private sector and determine pricing as Government paves the way to implement the NHI.
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‘Heart patch’ could help with transplant shortage

24 Apr 2025
The journal Nature reported that German research discovered a potential solution – a “heart patch” made from stem cells that could provide a “bridge to transplantation, or maybe even a permanent fix.” MedicalBrief (24 April 2025)
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Pharma giants push EU for higher medicine prices

24 Apr 2025
Reuters reported on 24 April that major European pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Novartis and Sanofi are intensifying calls for the European Union (EU) to permit higher medicine prices.
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Trademark win for Adcock Ingram's Urizone

24 Apr 2025
“A SA court ruled in favour of Adcock Ingram and Zambon SPA, ordering Cipla Medpro to stop using the trademark Furizome for its urinary tract infection (UTI) medication. The court found Furizome confusingly similar to the established Urizone trademark, leading to a ruling based on trademark infringement and unlawful competition. – HealthMatters (24 April 2025)
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Government slammed for inaction over HIV funding

24 Apr 2025
With President Cyril Ramaphosa being “too busy with the G20” and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, “missing in action”, critics warn that the cost of doing nothing regarding the HIV treatment programme puts millions of lives at risk. – MedicalBrief (24 April 2025)
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Life Healthcare backs collaboration to tackle healthcare crisis

27 Nov 2024
Life Healthcare CEO Peter Wharton-Hood has backed a call for greater collaboration between the government and private healthcare providers to address South Africa’s pressing healthcare challenges. This follows a proposal by Netcare CEO Richard Friedland, who suggested adding healthcare as the fourth pillar in an existing government-business partnership focused on revitalising the economy.
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Discovery Life claims back to pre-Covid levels

19 Apr 2024
“Discovery Life distributed R10.3bn to its clients, a decrease from the R11bn paid the previous year,” reported Business Day (19April 2024)
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Hundreds of websites found selling fake weight-loss drugs

16 Apr 2024
Reuters reported on 15 April that the cybersecurity company BrandShield has shut down over 250 websites selling counterfeit versions of popular drugs used for weight loss and diabetes treatment within the GLP-1 class.
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RAF bid to appeal judgment on claim requirements

06 Dec 2023
On 5 December 2023 the Pretoria High Court rejected the Road Accident Fund’s (RAF) request to reconsider a previous verdict from November, reported Business Day. “The ruling mandated eliminating the stringent new requirements for filing claims outlined in a 2021 board notice.”
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Covid-19 vaccines: ‘Health Department squandered the opportunity’

07 Sep 2023
“Health activists are right to draw attention to this grossly unfair situation. (Covid-19 vaccine deals) But the far bigger scandal is that the Health Department squandered the opportunity after spending an estimated R14-bn on Covid-19 jabs and belatedly filling its warehouses with enough doses to vaccinate the nation” – Business Day (7 September 2023).
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EDITORIAL: Health Minister must halt care crisis

20 Jan 2023

NHI, the government’s plan for universal health coverage, rests heavily on nurse-led care. Yet where these nurses will come from is a mystery. – Editorial (Business Day 20 January 2023).
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Study raises concerns about quality of hospital meals

12 Jan 2023

According to a study of meals served at Cape Town hospitals the food served to hospital patients are way below the health department “ration scale” and patients’ energy requirements, reportedFinancial Mail (12 January 2023).
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Health Minister’s comment provides ‘some comfort to medical scheme industry’

15 Jun 2022

Health Minister Joe Phaahla’s comment that NHI will be implemented step-by-step - gradually phasing out the role of medical schemes in the private sector - should provide some comfort to these private healthcare services, according to Business Day (15 June 2022)

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