South Africa: Food and Drugs Law

Ozempic has been in the news recently along with BBL and other political oddities. Ozempic's owner, Novo Nordik and iDexis, a manufacturer of generic drugs, took each other to court in June for commercial reasons.

The surge in demand for GLP-1 and GIP medicines—particularly those containing semaglutide and tirzepatide—has created significant commercial opportunity.

This comprehensive legal update covers recent developments across South African law, from pharmaceutical naming regulations and copyright platform liability to VAT amendments affecting insurance and digital services. The collection explores emerging challenges in intellectual property protection, cryptocurrency regulation, and data brokering, while examining how AI and digital transformation are reshaping traditional legal frameworks.

On 8 September 2025, a private members Bill was introduced in Parliament, proposing an amendment to the existing Liquor Act.

After much uncertainty as to the fate of veggie burgers and veggie sausages, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (the Department) has recently provided much needed clarity on the naming conventions for meat analogues.

Introduced in Parliament back in 2022, The Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill [B 33-2022] (the "Bill") seeks to introduce, amongst other things, plain packaging for tobacco products.

South African agribusinesses which export to the European Union (EU) will have been keeping an eye on the increasing suite of laws coming out of the EU that seek...

As you may have heard in the news, five children were recently reported to have tragically died in Soweto, after allegedly eating poisoned snacks, purchased at a spaza shop.

Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and other African countries affected by the Mpox virus have implemented temperature checks and other health monitoring methods at points...