
Spotlight
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Spotlight aims to provide critical analysis and varying perspectives on South Africa’s response to TB and HIV.
Spotlight
2w ago
From the ongoing political and legal battles over NHI, to the far-reaching health impacts of political change in the United States, it is set to be another tumultuous year for healthcare in South Africa and around the globe. Here’s Spotlight’s top four healthcare questions for 2025.
The post Health in 2025: Spotlight’s top 4 questions for the year ahead appeared first on Spotlight ..read more
Spotlight
2M ago
In 2023, tuberculosis was again the top infectious disease killer on the planet, having temporarily been overtaken by COVID-19. Even so, investment in TB research is far below what United Nations agencies estimate is needed. Catherine Tomlinson unpacks a new report on global TB research funding, zooming in on the situation in South Africa.
The post Analysis: SA one of only two countries to meet TB research spending target in 2023 appeared first on Spotlight ..read more
Spotlight
2M ago
From the NHI Act to major advances in HIV prevention, it has been another busy year in the world of healthcare. Spotlight editors Marcus Low and Adiel Ismail recap the year’s health developments and identify some key trends in fewer than 1 000 words.
The post Health in 2024: The year in fewer than 1 000 words appeared first on Spotlight ..read more
Spotlight
2M ago
Though several South African companies are producing HIV and TB medicines, the active ingredients that go into these medicines are usually imported from India or China. Now, a local company is planning to break new ground by making the active ingredients for two important TB medicines in Pretoria. Catherine Tomlinson zooms in on the company’s efforts and outlines some of the obstacles to getting such local production off the ground.
The post Pretoria company aims to lead SA in making key TB drug ingredients appeared first on Spotlight ..read more
Spotlight
2M ago
There is a history of competition law being used to drive HIV medicine prices lower in South Africa. Now, two cases involving cancer medicines seem set to nail down what qualifies as “excessive pricing” in South African law – a legal development that could have far reaching implications for medicines prices in the country. Catherine Tomlinson unpacks the details.
The post Why the Competition Commission’s decision on two cancer medicine cases could have much wider implications appeared first on Spotlight ..read more
Spotlight
3M ago
Some patients at KwaZulu-Natal hospitals are donating lung tissue for use in TB research. Sue Segar tracks what happens to these tissue samples and explores why these samples are so important to unlocking the mysteries of what the TB bacterium does inside the human body.
The post How tissue donations in KZN are helping to boost our understanding of TB appeared first on Spotlight ..read more
Spotlight
3M ago
An estimated 56 000 people in South Africa and 1.25 million around the world died of TB in 2023, according to just-published figures from the WHO. This means that in 2023 TB overtook COVID-19 as the top infectious disease killer on the planet. Marcus Low unpacks the new numbers.
The post 56 000 TB deaths in SA in 2023, according to WHO appeared first on Spotlight ..read more
Spotlight
3M ago
Pregnant women are typically excluded from clinical trials of new TB medicines. This has led to a lack of solid scientific evidence on how best to treat women who fall ill with TB while they are expecting. Tiyese Jeranji asked local TB experts about the problem and puts the spotlight on a recent study that broke the mould by opening its doors to pregnant women.
The post Why including pregnant women in a TB study in SA was a big deal appeared first on Spotlight ..read more
Spotlight
5M ago
With varying degrees of success, artificial intelligence has begun to play the role of research assistant, radiologist, health educator, and even therapist. In this Spotlight special briefing, Jesse Copelyn tries to see past the hype and pin-points the most immediate implications of these new technologies for healthcare in South Africa.
The post #InTheSpotlight | Beyond the hype, what might AI actually mean for healthcare in SA? appeared first on Spotlight ..read more
Spotlight
5M ago
A Competition Commission probe recently resulted in a patent on an important tuberculosis medicine being dropped in South Africa. Twenty years ago, a similar Competition Commission case resulted in a settlement that helped drive down the prices of several antiretrovirals, thereby helping to set the stage for the country’s HIV treatment programme. Fatima Hassan and Leena Menghaney connect the dots between the two landmark cases and map out what has and has not changed over the last two decades.
The post Competition law has again worked to fight a bad drug patent, but we need other solutions app ..read more