The pharmacy industry has moved swiftly to prepare itself for the implementation of the much disputed Medicines and Related Substances Control Amendment Act that is set to bring huge changes to the entire medical industry. The price of prescription medicine is likely to fall as pharmacists  swop their profit margins for a professional fee. Anso Thom reports...
AIDS activists will picket outside the Johannesburg Hospital's HIV clinic today (Friday) in protest against understaffing and poor resources which have rendered the clinic virtually inoperable over the past few months. As Anso Thom reports, the sorry state of affairs at the clinic has existed for some time.
A medical research centre to study diseases that most affect Africa is in the final stages of being established at the University of Cape Town. The new institute will concentrate on a variety of diseases including HIV/AIDS, malaria, major cancers and various genetic and metabolic disorders. It also hopes to reduce the "brain drain" by offering South African scientists a place to pursue top quality research.
In the wake of the collapse of the court case brought by major pharmaceutical companies against the Medicines and Related Substances Control Amendment Act, health minister Manto Tshabalala Msimang will meet some of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies in London to discuss access to drugs and the implementation of the Act.
The Treatment Action Campaign plans to intensify its campaign to pressurise government to extend its prevention programme against mother-to-child-transmission of HIV. TAC wants government to offer HIV positive pregnant women access to the anti-retroviral drug Nevirapine at 18 sites countrywide.
Swiss drug company Novartis has indicated that is in the final stages of negotiating a slash in the price of a malaria drug, a move that would benefit South Africa as well.
Infectious diseases can be controlled in the world'€™s poorest countries. This is the message contained in a World Health Organisation (WHO) report '€“ "Health A Key to Prosperity". The report names Uganda, Thailand and Senegal as national success stories in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Health-e reports on some of the success stories, many from Africa...
The United Nations Secretary-General has called for the creation of a global fund to battle HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases in Africa. Speaking at the Organisation of African Unity summit on HIV/AIDS being held in Nigeria, Koffi Annan said between US$ 7 - 10 billion was needed over an extended period of time to combat the pandemic. This is a seven fold increase from the 1 billion US dollars presently being spent on HIV/AIDS in developing countries in Africa.
April 25 is Africa malaria day. South African health authorities will purchase thousands of mosquito nets as part of the campaign to protect people living in malaria areas. Research has shown that bednets are effective, well accepted by local communities and cheaper than residual spraying of houses in affected areas.
The withdrawal of the pharmaceutical industry from litigation against the Medicines and Related Substances Control Amendment Act opens the way for the South African government to offer consumers access to cheaper medicines. But the public should be under no illusions that it immediately creates the conditions for affordable medicines and cheap anti AIDS drugs.
The South African government and the Treatment Action Campaign might have emerged victorious from the Pretoria High Court, but this does not mean that cheap anti-AIDS drugs will suddenly be available to all South Africans who need them. As Kerry Cullinan reports, the Medicines and Related Substances Control Amendment Act does not challenge patent rights and the pharmaceutical giants retain a 20-year hold on the production and pricing of anti-retroviral drugs.
Nevirapine, the drug that has cut HIV transmission from mothers to their babies by up to 50% in clinical trials, has finally been registered for use in South Africa. This paves the way for the health department to make good its promise to issue the drug free of charge to pregnant women at 18 pilot sites countrywide.
The much-spoken of TRIPS Agreement - or Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights - is often cited as key factor which cannot be violated in the quest for access to cheaper medicines. But what does TRIPS actually say? Law analyst Jonathan Berger offers a brief history of TRIPS and how pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and computer king IBM pushed for World Trade Organisation approval for such an agreement. He argues that TRIPS balances protection of intellectual property rights with the right of people to access essential medicines.
The South African Students Congress in Bloemfontein made sure that HIV/AIDS was on the agenda of their annual gathering. But besides the "official line", what are students saying about the epidemic and safer sex behaviour?
When the 39 pharmaceutical companies'€™ case against the South African government started on 5 March, it ignited worldwide protests against drug profiteering at the expense of the world'€™s poor.But during the past five weeks that the court has been in recess, the international pharmaceutical industry mounted a major public relations offensive '€“ with price reductions for AIDS drugs as its centrepiece -- that seems to be paying off.
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