Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | How should the compounding of medicines be regulated?

Posted in: #InsideTheBox, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, with the South African Pharmacy Council, recently announced what was described as a crackdown on a compounding pharmacy. They allege “critical regulatory non-compliance” in relation to the compounding of unregistered medicines. In his latest Inside The Box column, Dr Andy Gray provides some background to the issues at stake, while recognising that some key elements remain contested.

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | How should the compounding of medicines be regulated?

South Africa’s dangerous mix of fake medicines and bogus doctors

Posted in: Editorial, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Opinions, Spotlight

Fake and substandard medicines, along with bogus healthcare practitioners, pose a growing threat to patient safety in South Africa.

South Africa’s dangerous mix of fake medicines and bogus doctors

Fake medicines: How regulators are trying to fix the problem in SA

Posted in: Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Spotlight

From unregulated weight loss injections to unsafe pain tablets, substandard and falsified medical products pose a threat to the health of people. Elna Schütz reports on how regulators are fighting the problem in South Africa.

Fake medicines: How regulators are trying to fix the problem in SA

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | How can we know that medicines sold in pharmacies are of good quality?

Posted in: #InsideTheBox, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

We can generally trust that the medicines we buy at pharmacies contain what they are supposed to and that they were manufactured according to good quality standards. In his latest column, Dr Andy Gray zooms in on the regulatory scaffolding that enables this trust.

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | How can we know that medicines sold in pharmacies are of good quality?

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | Are there appropriate sanctions for non-compliance with medicines legislation in South Africa?

Posted in: #InsideTheBox, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations

The sale of illegal medicines is a significant threat to public safety. In his latest Inside The Box column, Dr Andy Gray asks whether the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has the necessary tools at hand to provide protection in this area.

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | Are there appropriate sanctions for non-compliance with medicines legislation in South Africa?

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | How medicines pricing works in SA and how it might change in future

Posted in: #InsideTheBox, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

In South Africa, as in many places, pharmaceutical companies are not free to change medicine prices as they wish. In his latest Inside The Box column, Dr Andy Gray unpacks how medicines prices are regulated in the country and considers how this regulatory framework might change.

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | How medicines pricing works in SA and how it might change in future

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | Where are we on the road to more coherent cannabis regulation?

Posted in: #InsideTheBox, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

There has been much confusion and misunderstandings about how cannabis and associated products are regulated in South Africa, with government’s own missteps adding to the uncertainty. In his last Inside The Box column for the year, Dr Andy Gray clearly sets out the current legal and regulatory situation and where we’re heading.

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | Where are we on the road to more coherent cannabis regulation?

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | Public participation in medicines selection and regulation – lacking?

Posted in: #InsideTheBox, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

In several countries, the public is given an opportunity to share their views with regulators before new medicines are registered or to engage with those choosing essential medicines. In South Africa, however, opportunities for such public participation remains limited. In his latest Inside The Box column, Dr Andy Gray takes a look at how public participation is handled elsewhere and how it could be improved here.

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | Public participation in medicines selection and regulation – lacking?

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | How could more efficient use of reliance improve access to quality, affordable medicines?

Posted in: #InsideTheBox, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

Rather than trying to do everything from scratch, medicines regulators from different countries are increasingly sharing the load between them by ‘relying’ on each other’s work. In his latest Inside The Box column, Dr Andy Gray explains how such ‘reliance mechanisms’ can help regulators make decisions more quickly and efficiently, and digs into the details of how South Africa can make the most of these mechanisms.

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | How could more efficient use of reliance improve access to quality, affordable medicines?

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | Should pharmaceutical advertising in SA be better regulated, and why?

Posted in: #InsideTheBox, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

For over 20 years, the law has required that the Minister of Health issues regulations to govern the advertising of medicines in South Africa, but as yet no such regulations are in place. In his latest Inside The Box column, Dr Andy Gray considers what this means for the marketing of medicines in the country.

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | Should pharmaceutical advertising in SA be better regulated, and why?

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | How can we tell if health policies or guidelines are truly evidence-based?

Posted in: #InsideTheBox, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

It is easy to claim one is “following the scientific evidence”, but what does it mean to actually do so? In his latest Inside The Box column, Dr Andy Gray considers how evidence-based health policy and guidelines can and should be made.

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | How can we tell if health policies or guidelines are truly evidence-based?

Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | Are clinical trial participants in South Africa protected?

Posted in: #InsideTheBox, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

Clinical trial participants appear to be well protected in South Africa, particularly as the country’s guidelines recognise the risks of research with international collaborators. The sudden end of US-funded clinical trials, however, is exposing some limitations of ethics codes and guidelines, argues Dr Andy Gray.