Plain-language reference articles on medicines, regulation and pricing — in South Africa and worldwide.
2026-08-19 · radiopharmaceuticals · nuclear medicine · radioisotopes · drug regulation · supply chain
An overview of how radioactive medicines work in diagnosis and therapy, the special handling they require, and why their supply chains are uniquely fragile.
Read article →2026-08-19 · blood products · plasma-derived medicines · SANBS · SAHPRA · viral safety · blood donation · biological medicines
An overview of why blood products are treated specially, covering donation screening, safety testing, fractionation, and the South African National Blood Service.
Read article →2026-08-18 · geriatric-prescribing · polypharmacy · deprescribing · beers-criteria · pharmacokinetics · medication-safety
How ageing changes the way medicines are handled, the risks of polypharmacy, the Beers Criteria, and the concept of deprescribing.
Read article →2026-08-18 · pharmacokinetics · metabolism · pharmacogenomics · drug interactions · cyp450
A plain-language guide to the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, covering first-pass metabolism, grapefruit–medicine interactions, and pharmacogenomics.
Read article →2026-08-18 · Pharmacogenomics · Pharmacokinetics · Pharmacodynamics · Personalised Medicine · SAHPRA · FDA · EMA · WHO EML
An overview of how genetic differences affect drug response, examples of gene-based labelling, and the promise and limits of personalised prescribing.
Read article →2026-08-17 · paediatric medicines · formulations · WHO EMLc · dispersible tablets · drug regulation
An explanation of paediatric medicine formulations, weight-based dosing, dispersible tablets, the WHO 'Make Medicines Child Size' initiative, and the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc).
Read article →2026-08-17 · pharmacology · therapeutic index · NTI · generic medicines · drug safety · SAHPRA
An explanation of the therapeutic index, why some medicines require careful monitoring, and what a narrow margin means for generic switching.
Read article →2026-08-16 · TRIPS · compulsory licensing · patents · WTO · Doha Declaration · generic medicines · public health
An overview of how international trade rules allow countries to authorise generic medicine production during public health emergencies, the Doha Declaration, and historical examples.
Read article →2026-08-16 · medicine-safety · anti-falsification · serialisation · DSCSA · EU-FMD
How serial numbers, 2D barcodes, and national verification systems under the EU Falsified Medicines Directive and US DSCSA help detect falsified medicines before they reach patients.
Read article →2026-08-16 · pharmacovigilance · regulation · drug safety · pregnancy · labelling
An educational overview of the historical letter categories for medicine use in pregnancy, the shift to narrative labelling, and the precautionary principle.
Read article →2026-08-15 · Medicines Patent Pool · Voluntary Licensing · Generics · Intellectual Property · Access to Medicines · Public Health
An overview of how voluntary licences and the Medicines Patent Pool expand global access to HIV, hepatitis, and other essential medicines through the generics ecosystem.
Read article →2026-08-15 · WHO · regulation · prequalification · global health · procurement · quality assurance
Understanding the WHO prequalification process, what products it covers, how it supports global procurement, and its relationship with national regulators.
Read article →2026-08-14 · pharmacoeconomics · cost-effectiveness · QALY · ICER · health technology assessment · medicine pricing · WHO EML
How cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and budget impact analyses help health systems decide which medicines to fund.
Read article →2026-08-14 · value-based pricing · health technology assessment · pharmacoeconomics · managed-entry agreements · single exit price
An overview of value-based pricing for medicines, including managed-entry agreements, outcomes-based contracts, and their practical limits.
Read article →2026-08-14 · medicine pricing · global health · health economics · patents · pharmaceutical policy
An overview of how tiered pricing, pooled procurement, and voluntary licensing are used to improve global access to medicines.
Read article →2026-08-13 · nutraceuticals · supplements · SAHPRA · regulation · complementary medicines
Understanding the regulatory line between medicines and supplements, why health claims are restricted, and South Africa's complementary medicines framework.
Read article →2026-08-13 · medical devices · regulation · SAHPRA · combination products · MDR · IMDRF
An overview of how medical devices are classified by risk, why their approval routes differ from medicines, how combination products are handled, and the role of SAHPRA in South Africa.
Read article →2026-08-13 · IVD · diagnostics · medical devices · SAHPRA · regulation
An overview of how diagnostic tests (IVDs) are regulated, including risk classification, the rise of HIV and COVID self-testing, and post-market quality assurance.
Read article →2026-08-12 · WHO EML · Paediatrics · Public Health · Essential Medicines · Generic Medicines
Understanding the science behind oral rehydration salts, the WHO and UNICEF formulation, and its vital role in global child survival strategies.
Read article →2026-08-12 · contraceptives · prescription classification · OTC medicines · WHO · SAHPRA · essential medicines
An overview of how contraceptive products are sorted into prescription, pharmacy-only and over-the-counter categories, the WHO guidance behind access, and why the same product can sit in different categories across countries.
Read article →2026-08-12 · traditional medicine · herbal medicine · WHO · SAHPRA · complementary medicines · pharmacovigilance
An overview of how traditional, complementary, and herbal medicines are regulated globally and in South Africa, including the WHO strategy and safety concerns.
Read article →2026-08-11 · ATMPs · gene therapy · cell therapy · regulation · pharmacoeconomics
An overview of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs), explaining what gene and cell therapies are, why they are so expensive, how regulators assess them, and the global challenges of patient access.
Read article →2026-08-11 · monoclonal antibodies · mAbs · biological medicines · INN naming · pharmacology
An educational overview of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), how they are manufactured, their WHO naming system, broad clinical uses, and why they are among the most costly medicines.
Read article →2026-08-11 · Insulin · Diabetes · Biosimilars · WHO EML · Medicine Access · SAHPRA
An overview of the discovery of insulin, its role on the WHO Essential Medicines List, biosimilar insulins, and the global debates surrounding affordability and access.
Read article →2026-08-10 · antibiotic stewardship · antimicrobial resistance · AMR · WHO AWaRe · infection control · pharmacy
A plain-language guide to antibiotic stewardship programmes, their role in hospitals and communities, the WHO Global Action Plan on AMR, and how success is measured.
Read article →2026-08-09 · medicine disposal · environmental health · pharmaceutical waste · SAHPRA · public health
A guide to the safe disposal of unused and expired medicines, covering why flushing is discouraged, the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals in water, and take-back schemes.
Read article →2026-08-09 · vaccine cold chain · last-mile delivery · WHO · UNICEF · SAHPRA · pharmacology
An overview of the vaccine cold chain, exploring temperature ranges, vial monitors, last-mile delivery, and WHO logistics.
Read article →2026-08-08 · excipients · inactive ingredients · pharmaceutical formulation · generic medicines · medicine regulation · allergies
An educational overview of pharmaceutical excipients, explaining their role in drug formulation, allergies, generic medicines, and how they are regulated globally.
Read article →2026-08-08 · medicine formulations · modified release · pharmacokinetics · SAHPRA · medication safety
An educational overview of what SR, XR, and enteric-coated mean on medicine packaging, why formulation changes matter, and why some tablets cannot be crushed.
Read article →2026-08-08 · medicine storage · pharmacovigilance · SAHPRA · package insert · medicine labelling
What common medicine storage instructions like 'store below 25°C' and 'protect from light' actually mean, and why bathroom cabinets are a poor choice.
Read article →2026-08-07 · clinical trials · placebo · research methodology · pharmacology · drug regulation
An educational overview of why placebos and blinding exist in clinical trials, how the placebo effect works, and when placebo controls are considered ethical.
Read article →2026-08-07 · clinical-trials · research-ethics · informed-consent · sahpra · declaration-of-helsinki
How ethics committees, the Declaration of Helsinki, and informed consent protect people who take part in clinical trials.
Read article →2026-08-07 · medicine safety · pharmacokinetics · pharmacodynamics · SAHPRA · package insert · drug interactions
A clear guide to how medicines interact, covering pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions, why pharmacists check your prescriptions, and the role of the package insert.
Read article →2026-08-06 · medicine registration · SAHPRA · regulatory affairs · reliance pathways · WHO · ICH · CTD
An overview of what happens between a company filing a registration dossier and a medicine appearing on a national register — covering dossier structure, queues and backlogs, and reliance pathways used by regulators including SAHPRA.
Read article →2026-08-06 · real-world evidence · real-world data · medicine regulation · clinical trials · pharmacovigilance · SAHPRA · FDA · EMA
How routine healthcare data supplements clinical trials, the role of patient registries, and the limitations of real-world evidence in medicine regulation.
Read article →2026-08-06 · clinical trials · adaptive trials · platform trials · basket trials · umbrella trials · research methodology · drug development
A plain-language guide to modern clinical trial designs, including adaptive, platform, umbrella, and basket trials, and the safeguards that keep them scientifically valid.
Read article →2026-08-05 · formulary · medical scheme · PMB · co-payment · reference pricing · health insurance · Single Exit Price
An explanation of medicine formularies, tiered co-payments, reference pricing, and how Prescribed Minimum Benefits affect medical scheme coverage in South Africa.
Read article →2026-08-05 · medicine pricing · reference pricing · health policy · reimbursement · pharmaceutical policy
How countries and insurers benchmark medicine prices against other countries or against therapeutic equivalents — and the strengths and criticisms of each approach.
Read article →2026-08-05 · NHI · Universal Health Coverage · SAHPRA · Essential Medicines List · Single Exit Price · Health Technology Assessment · South Africa
An overview of how South Africa's National Health Insurance (NHI) could change the way medicines are selected, procured, and funded.
Read article →2026-08-04 · regulation · prescribing · off-label · SAHPRA · FDA · WHO EML
What a medicine's label means, why off-label use is legal but cannot be advertised, and how regulators draw the line.
Read article →2026-08-04 · compounding · pharmacy practice · medicine regulation · quality assurance · drug safety
An overview of pharmaceutical compounding — what it is, when it is needed, how it differs from mass manufacturing in regulation, and key quality and safety considerations.
Read article →2026-08-04 · generic medicines · single exit price · medicines act · sahpra · pharmacy · healthcare costs
Understanding the Medicines Act, pharmacist duties, and the Single Exit Price system when choosing generic medicines in South Africa.
Read article →2026-08-03 · GMP · manufacturing · quality control · regulation · SAHPRA · WHO · PIC/S
An overview of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), what it covers, WHO and PIC/S standards, and how manufacturing failures lead to medicine recalls.
Read article →2026-08-03 · pharmacology · bioavailability · generic medicines · drug regulation · medicine administration
An overview of bioavailability, first-pass metabolism, how different routes of administration affect medicines, and why this matters for generic drug equivalence.
Read article →2026-08-03 · Controlled Substances · Drug Scheduling · INCB · SAHPRA · Medicine Regulation
An overview of the UN drug conventions, the INCB, and how international treaties shape national medicine controls, including South Africa's Schedules 5 to 8.
Read article →2026-08-02 · cephalosporins · ceftriaxone · antibiotics · antimicrobial-resistance · who-aware · infectious-diseases · beta-lactam
A plain-language reference article on the cephalosporin generations, how ceftriaxone is used in hospitals, and the WHO AWaRe classification of antibiotics.
Read article →2026-08-02 · WHO · essential medicines · EML · drug selection · public health · EMLc · paediatric medicines
A plain-language guide to the World Health Organization's Essential Medicines List — how the expert committee selects medicines, the biennial review cycle, how countries adapt national lists, and the separate list for children.
Read article →2026-08-02 · Antibiotics · WHO EML · AWaRe · Antimicrobial Resistance · Pharmacology · Public Health
An overview of the World Health Organization's AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) classification system for antibiotics and its role in antimicrobial stewardship.
Read article →2026-08-01 · salbutamol · albuterol · respiratory medicine · WHO EML · inhalers
An overview of salbutamol (albuterol), its international naming differences, inhaler types, WHO essential medicine status, and the environmental debate over propellants.
Read article →2026-08-01 · cardiovascular · hypertension · calcium channel blockers · generic medicines · WHO EML
An overview of amlodipine and the -dipine class of calcium channel blockers, how they work to lower blood pressure, and their global role in hypertension management.
Read article →2026-08-01 · antihistamines · loratadine · allergy · WHO EML · OTC
How loratadine and other second-generation antihistamines differ from older first-generation drugs, their naming, brands, and OTC availability worldwide.
Read article →2026-07-30 · statins · atorvastatin · lipitor · generic medicines · patents · cardiovascular · SAHPRA
An overview of the -statin class, the Lipitor patent story, generic price collapse, and global usage of atorvastatin.
Read article →2026-07-30 · Metformin · Diabetes · WHO EML · Generic Medicines · SAHPRA
An overview of metformin, its origins in French lilac, its place on the WHO Essential Medicines List, and its role as a foundational treatment for type 2 diabetes.
Read article →2026-07-30 · omeprazole · proton pump inhibitors · PPI · rx-to-otc switch · generic medicines · pharmacovigilance · SAHPRA
An overview of the -prazole class of medicines, their shift from prescription to over-the-counter status globally, and the competitive generic market that drives their pricing.
Read article →2026-07-29 · paracetamol · acetaminophen · OTC medicines · pharmacology · drug regulation
The history, naming, and worldwide regulatory status of the world's most used medicine — and how it differs from NSAIDs.
Read article →2026-07-29 · nsaids · ibuprofen · medicine-regulation · sahpra · who-eml
A plain-language reference article on what NSAIDs are, the history of ibuprofen, and how these medicines are regulated globally.
Read article →2026-07-29 · Antibiotics · WHO EML · Antimicrobial Resistance · SAHPRA · Pharmacology
An overview of the penicillin family, the history of amoxicillin, its role as an essential medicine, and the importance of prescription-only antibiotic stewardship.
Read article →2026-07-28 · pharmacy regulation · dispensing · pharmacist scope of practice · online pharmacies · SAHPRA · medicine regulation
An overview of global medicine dispensing regulations, covering pharmacist scope of practice, dispensing doctors, and the oversight of online pharmacies.
Read article →2026-07-28 · medicine shortages · API supply chain · pharmaceutical manufacturing · SAHPRA · drug regulation
An overview of the global causes behind medicine shortages, including concentrated API manufacturing, economic factors affecting older cheap drugs, and mitigation strategies.
Read article →2026-07-28 · Health Technology Assessment · QALY · Cost-Effectiveness · NICE · NHI · Health Economics
A plain-language guide to health technology assessment (HTA), Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs), and how bodies like NICE decide which medicines offer value for money.
Read article →2026-07-27 · vaccines · regulation · pharmacovigilance · WHO · SAHPRA · prequalification
An overview of how vaccine approval differs from ordinary medicines, covering WHO prequalification, independent batch testing, and ongoing safety monitoring.
Read article →2026-07-27 · parallel importation · medicine regulation · section 15c · sahpra · exhaustion of rights · medicine pricing
An overview of parallel medicine importation, the legal principle of exhaustion of rights, South Africa's Section 15C, and the balance between price competition and supply chain safety.
Read article →2026-07-26 · package insert · patient information leaflet · professional information · medicine labelling · SAHPRA · pharmacovigilance
A plain-language guide to reading medicine package inserts, understanding the standard sections, and knowing where to find official professional and patient information.
Read article →2026-07-26 · INN · WHO · medicine names · generic medicines · pharmacology
Understanding the WHO International Nonproprietary Names (INN) system, common medicine name stems like -pril and -mab, and the difference between generic and brand names.
Read article →2026-07-26 · orphan drugs · rare diseases · drug regulation · pharmaceutical policy · market exclusivity
An overview of orphan drug regulations, the pricing controversies surrounding rare disease treatments, and the challenges of accessing these medicines in middle-income countries.
Read article →2026-07-25 · cold chain · pharmaceutical supply chain · SAHPRA · vaccines · biologics
An overview of temperature-sensitive medicines, how the cold chain is monitored, and the access challenges faced in hot climates.
Read article →2026-07-25 · stability testing · expiry date · shelf life · pharmaceutical regulation · storage conditions
An explanation of stability testing, storage conditions, and the regulatory reasons behind medicine expiry dates.
Read article →2026-07-25 · medicine recalls · pharmacovigilance · SAHPRA · FDA · EMA · drug safety · medicine regulation
An explanation of how medicine recalls work globally and in South Africa, including recall classifications, the regulators who order them, and famous historical examples.
Read article →2026-07-24 · medicine regulation · drug safety · pharmacovigilance · WHO · supply chain · SAHPRA · counterfeit medicines
An overview of the global problem of substandard and falsified medical products, how they differ, and the systems used to verify medicine legitimacy.
Read article →2026-07-24 · Antimicrobial Resistance · Antibiotic Stewardship · Regulation · Prescription Medicines · Public Health
An overview of how antimicrobial resistance develops at a population level, the role of antibiotic stewardship programmes, and why antibiotics are classified as prescription-only medicines worldwide.
Read article →2026-07-23 · pharmacovigilance · medicine safety · adverse events · SAHPRA · WHO VigiBase
An overview of post-market medicine safety monitoring, adverse event reporting, WHO VigiBase, and how SAHPRA tracks medicine risks in South Africa.
Read article →2026-07-23 · clinical trials · drug development · pharmacovigilance · SAHPRA · regulation
A plain-language guide to the phases of clinical trials, their goals, and why most potential medicines never reach the pharmacy.
Read article →2026-07-23 · intellectual property · patents · market exclusivity · generic medicines · TRIPS · public health · drug pricing
An explanation of how pharmaceutical patents, data exclusivity, and evergreening impact medicine prices, along with the TRIPS flexibilities that allow generic entry.
Read article →2026-07-22 · scheduling · sahpra · regulation · south africa · prescription
A plain-language guide to South Africa's medicine scheduling system, how it controls access to medicines, who decides scheduling, and how it compares to US and UK categories.
Read article →2026-07-22 · medicine regulation · OTC · prescription · SAHPRA · pharmacy · WHO EML
Understanding the Rx-to-OTC switch process, international medicine classification differences, and the role of pharmacists in non-prescription access.
Read article →2026-07-22 · biosimilars · biologics · generics · medicine regulation · pharmaceuticals
Biological medicines cannot have exact generic copies. Learn how biosimilars are developed, tested for similarity, and approved to help lower treatment costs.
Read article →2026-07-21 · regulation · SAHPRA · FDA · EMA · WHO
A plain-language guide to how new medicines are evaluated and registered by major regulators — the FDA, EMA, MHRA, SAHPRA and the WHO prequalification programme.
Read article →2026-07-21 · generics · bioequivalence · pricing
What a generic medicine actually is, how bioequivalence testing works, why generics are cheaper than originators, and how generic substitution works in South Africa.
Read article →2026-07-21 · pricing · SEP · South Africa
How South Africa’s Single Exit Price system works: one regulated price per medicine, the annual price adjustment, dispensing fees, and how to look up any SEP.
Read article →2026-07-21 · NAPPI · coding · South Africa
NAPPI codes uniquely identify every medicine pack sold in South Africa. What the code means, who issues it, and how it compares to ATC codes and the US NDC system.
Read article →2026-07-21 · WHO · essential medicines · policy
The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines shapes which medicines health systems prioritise worldwide. How the list works and how South Africa’s EML relates to it.
Read article →2026-07-21 · ATC · WHO · classification · NAPPI · NDC · medicine regulation
Learn how the WHO's Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) system organises medicines globally, and how it differs from pack-level codes like NAPPI and NDC.
Read article →