The President of South Africa is visiting France to meet Macron.
Ahmed Salem
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is visiting France from July 10-12 to meet with Emmanuel Macron and participate in several high-level meetings at UNESCO on education.
Ramaphosa is also participating in the centenary and decennial commemoration of the Battle of Delville Wood, honoring South African soldiers who participated in the First World War.
South Africa withdraws medicines from the market
On another front, South Africa's health products regulatory authority announced the start of a recall of a number of weight loss drugs produced by a local pharmaceutical company, following a temporary court order prohibiting the manufacture and sale of products containing the substance “semaglutide,” amid warnings from regulatory bodies about its potential risks to patient safety.
South Africa's health regulatory authority said on Thursday that the products being recalled are manufactured by iDexis and include preparations containing semaglutide and tirzepatide, as well as combinations of the two substances, emphasizing that continuing to prescribe, dispense, or stock these products may subject healthcare professionals to disciplinary action.
Prevent iDexis from manufacturing drugs containing semaglutide
The decision comes following a temporary order issued by the Supreme Court last month, which prohibited iDexis from manufacturing or selling drugs containing semaglutide, as part of a lawsuit filed by the Danish company Novo Nordisk.
Novo Nordisk accused the local company of manufacturing and selling products containing semaglutide without registration, in violation of drug regulations, and of capitalizing on the rapid growth of the weight-loss drug market in South Africa without adhering to regulatory requirements.
Regulatory bodies, in a joint statement that included the South African Pharmacy Council, the Health Professions Council, and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), clarified that the products included in the recall involve semaglutide and tirzepatide formulations prepared by iDexis.
Semaglutide is the main ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, while tirzepatide is an ingredient in Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Regulatory authorities confirmed that the use, description, or dispensing of iDexis products after the recall decision constitutes a “serious risk to the safety of patients and users,” warning that measures will be taken against any healthcare professional found to be dealing with these products.
Vincent Tlala, CEO of the South African Pharmacy Council, told Reuters that regulators have stepped up their actions due to iDexis's failure to carry out the recall according to the required procedures, explaining that violating pharmacists could face fines ranging from 25,000 to 75,000 rand.
