The Health Products Regulatory Authority says a police investigation will be done to determine if a syndicate is operating in the country selling the drug Ivermectin for use against the coronavirus.
A male suspect in his 40s has been arrested at the King Shaka International Airport in Durban after he was found in possession of Ivermectin drug earlier today. He was found in possession of over 2 100 tablets of Ivermectin. The Pakistan national is appearing in court today. South African Health Products Regulatory Authority communications manager Yuven Gounden says they have established that the drugs came from Pakistan. Gounden says the accused first said the tablets were for personal use and later said he was running a business. We spoke to our reporter Fanele Mhlongo who is at the King Shaka International Airport and was present during the drug bust..
In South Africa, COVID-19 Pits Traditional Medicine Against Clinical Trial Rules 31/12/2020
In June,
Artemisia afra was in high demand on the streets of Johannesburg in South Africa. To treat COVID-19 symptoms, the Indigenous herb’s silvery leaves were for sale at roadside vendors and in the city’s popular traditional markets. Some people even pulled the plant from private gardens. And on the sides of nearby highways, people held signs for “mhlonyane” (
A. afra’s isiZulu name) and offered bushels to passing motorists like bouquets. Between February and July, the herb doubled in price.
People in the region have consumed the bitter plant for centuries to treat illnesses from colds to intestinal worms. With deaths rising as South Africa battled its first COVID-19 wave, people have turned to
Bringing Traditional Healing Under the Microscope in South Africa medscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
South Africa gets first Covid-19 vaccine application
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Pharmaceutical group Johnson & Johnson is the first company to apply to register a Covid-19 vaccine in South Africa, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) said on Monday (14 December).
Sahpra chief executive Boitumelo Semete told a press briefing on Monday that the application was received on Thursday evening (10 December), and that the regulator has now begun an official review process.
Semete said that the regulator would focus on the safety, quality and efficacy of the vaccine. She added that the regulator has held a number of pre-submission discussions with pharmaceutical companies in which it advised about the data required for a successful application.