{"id":99138,"date":"2025-07-17T11:41:39","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T09:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=99138"},"modified":"2025-07-17T11:45:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T09:45:10","slug":"sas-medical-watchdog-reassures-public-amidst-african-cancer-drug-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/sas-medical-watchdog-reassures-public-amidst-african-cancer-drug-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"SA\u2019s Medical Watchdog Reassures Public Amidst African Cancer Drug Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n3-minute read
\n17 July 2025 | 09:00 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

\ud83d\udcf7 Cancer cells under microscopic view. SAHPRA continues rigorous testing to ensure anti-cancer treatments in South Africa meet international safety standards. Photo credit: chokniti via Adobe Stock<\/p><\/div>\n

As concern mounts over substandard cancer treatments reported in several African countries, South Africa\u2019s medical watchdog, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), has assured the public that locally registered cancer medications meet rigorous safety and quality standards.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Radio Islam International<\/em>,<\/a> SAHPRA CEO Dr. Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela explained the extensive processes in place to safeguard public health. \u201cBefore any product is available in South Africa, we need to have that product registered,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we ensure that the company manufacturing it is licensed with SAHPRA. That way, if anything goes wrong, we know who to go to.\u201d<\/p>\n

The authority doesn\u2019t stop at registration. \u201cWe conduct post-market surveillance,\u201d Dr. Semete-Makokotlela confirmed. \u201cWe collect samples from pharmacies and test them to ensure the product on shelves matches the quality of what was submitted to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

This level of scrutiny comes as a direct response to a recent medical study that exposed alarming lapses in cancer drug quality in other African nations. \u201cWhen we saw the study, we immediately reviewed all registered products containing the affected active ingredients. We found no evidence of substandard or falsified products in South Africa,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n

While South Africa appears insulated from the current crisis, SAHPRA acknowledges broader continental risks. \u201cWe are developing mechanisms to curb fake medications at a continental level. These substandard drugs pose a serious public health threat,\u201d Dr. Semete-Makokotlela warned.<\/p>\n

Key to SAHPRA\u2019s ongoing vigilance is its renewal process. \u201cEvery five years, manufacturers must submit updated data, and we reassess their registration,\u201d she noted. Additionally, any changes in production, whether to the ingredient composition or the manufacturing site, must be reported to SAHPRA for re-evaluation.<\/p>\n

Public participation is also crucial. Dr. Semete-Makokotlela urged South Africans to report any suspicious medication through the authority\u2019s whistleblowing and reporting platforms. \u201cIf you notice anything off damaged packaging, unexpected side effects contact your pharmacy and inform SAHPRA immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

While much of the continent wrestles with medication quality control, SAHPRA\u2019s robust systems and international-standard oversight offer South Africans vital reassurance in the fight against cancer.<\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong> to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up<\/em> <\/a>with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and Dr. Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 17 July 2025 | 09:00 CAT As concern mounts over substandard cancer treatments reported in several African countries, South Africa\u2019s medical watchdog, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), has assured the public that locally registered cancer medications meet rigorous safety and quality standards. In an interview with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":99139,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SAHPRA%E2%80%98s-position-on-anti-cancer-medications-in-South-Africa.jpg?fit=2048%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-pN0","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-17 02:47:41","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}