Profiles

Associations and Professional bodies

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  NAFDAC responds to port congestion allegation

  The attention of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has been drawn to a publication in the Punch Newspapers of 28^th December 2019 titled “Port congestion worsens as NAFDAC conducts E-certification”.

Conferences and Exhibitions

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  Drug Safety Africa 2018 Conference (South Africa)

  Drug Safety Africa 2018 is a first for Africa.  This conference presents state-of-the-art lectures covering the main topics; safety pharmacology, toxicology, clinical drug safety and precision medicine, and will include contributions from academia as well as industry, with scientists and regulators involved in drug safety testing. 

Drugs and medicaments: Importers, Distributors and Wholesalers

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  Croatia's drugs wholesalers limit delivery

  Croatian drug wholesalers have decided to limit deliveries of medicines to some hospitals in a row over mounting debts and urged the government to pay immediately at least half of them now totaling 2.6 billion kuna ($396 million).

Health insurance

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  S.African court rules in favour of insurer Liberty

  South Africa’s High Court has dismissed a case from insurer Discovery against rival Liberty, who it had argued was infringing on their trademarks and competing unlawfully, Liberty said on Thursday.

Health systems

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  Aggressive anti-tobacco FDA leader resigns

  Tobacco stocks jumped on Tuesday when news broke that Scott Gottlieb, head of Food and Drug Administration would resign at the end of the month.

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  Zimabawe only has two forensic pathologists.

  Zimbabwe has just two qualified forensic pathologists forcing families to wait for weeks before they can bury loved ones in cases of murder.

Hospitals and Clinics

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  Zimbabwe's new otolaryngology clinic at Harare

  After two years of planning, building, fundraising, training staff and scrounging for medical equipment, the new otolaryngology clinic in Harare Children's Hospital, Zimbabwe, opened its doors in March 2017. Within its first year, thousands of new patients were making daylong trips by bus to get treatment for neglected conditions. It was only the second such clinic in Africa. The first was in neighbouring South Africa.

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  Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo appointed new CMD of Maiduguri

  The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the appointment of Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo as the Chief Medical Director (CMD), University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State. The appointment, which took effect from 3 September, 2018 is for four-year tenure, according to a press release from the Federal Ministry of Health.

Personalities

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  Olutoye appointed Surgeon-in-Chief at US Hospital

  Dr. Oluyinka O. Olutoye, MD, PhD, has been appointed Surgeon-In-Chief at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, effective August 1, 2019. In his role, Dr. Olutoye will lead one of the largest children’s hospital surgery departments in the world.

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  Adelusi-Adeluyi. others bag NAFDAC's legacy award

  In recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Pharmacy profession, Pharmaceutical industry and support to the National Agency for Food and Drug, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in ensuring access to safe, efficacious and affordable medicines in Nigeria, the President, Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm) Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, and the Immediate Past President (IPP) of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Pharm. Ahmed I Yakasai, have been decorated with Legacy Award by NAFDAC.

Pharma Industry

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  Moderna Halts Plan to Build Vaccine Plant in Kenya

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  Gilead inks remdesivir supply deals

  After scoring an early authorization for its COVID-19 therapy remdesivir, Gilead Sciences has been on the hunt for manufacturing partners to help boost production. Through a series of licensing agreements with generics makers, Gilead has taken the first steps to build that network.

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  Dr. Reddy's oncology plant in India cited by FDA

  When an FDA inspector raised questions about water streaming down some equipment in the fill-and-finish area at Dr. Reddy’s oncology plant in Duvvada, India, a quality control manager repeatedly waved it off as condensation. When the inspector pointed out it was flowing from a tube that someone had tried to fix with three zip ties and was a problem in a sterile area, the manager finally acquiesced and stopped the filling line. 

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  Teva's legal woes and scandals

  Facing claims it induced doctors to prescribe a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s Coreg that violated its patents, Teva was hit with a hefty $235 million penalty in 2017. But a federal judge overruled that jury’s verdict last year—and now, one (US) federal appeals judge says she's “baffled" by the decision.

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  Teva inks $85M deal to sidestep opiod trial

  Less than 48 hours before the first major opioid trial began, Teva struck an $85 million deal with Oklahoma officials, about one-third what painkiller giant Purdue Pharma paid to settle similar claims. The settlement resolves claims that its painkillers—and their marketing—fed an opioid addiction crisis in Oklahoma. Teva didn't admit any wrongdoing with its settlement.

Pharmacy

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  CVS Health Pulling Popular Cold Meds From Shelves

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  Clicks reflects on 50 years in retail pharmacy

  This August 2018, Clicks celebrated fifty years of trading since launching in Cape Town in 1968, thus becoming one of South Africa's foremost health and beauty retailers. Clicks has since expanded to more than 650 stores and over 500 in-store pharmacies across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho