Reuters · October 14, 2026

South African Regulators Revise Standards and Guidelines for Compounding Medicines, Including GLP-1 Treatments

• South Africa is revising its rules governing the customisation of medicines, including GLP-1 treatments for diabetes and weight loss, health regulators said, as reported by Reuters.
• At a roundtable on counterfeit medicines on Wednesday, South African Pharmacy Council Registrar and CEO Vincent Tlala said the council was working with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) on updated minimum standards and guidelines for compounding medicines, according to the report.
• The revised standards are expected to go before the council in February, with publication targeted for March. Updated SAHPRA guidelines are expected to be released at the same time, Tlala said, according to the report.
• Tlala said the council was concerned pharmacies were compounding medicines in anticipation of demand rather than for specific patients, according to the report.
• Daphney Fafudi, SAHPRA's senior manager for market control, said the updated guidelines and revised standards were intended to provide greater clarity on what is and is not permissible when compounding medicines, according to the report.

Regulator statements as reported by Reuters. No response from a pharmacy or drug manufacturer is documented in the source for the revised standards. Original headline: "South Africa revises rules around customisation of weight-loss drugs".