Africa: Food, Drugs, Healthcare, Life Sciences

The resumed sixth session of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, held from 27 April to 1 May 2026, concluded without finalizing the much-anticipated Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system annex.

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 December 16, 2025, the European Commission (the "Commission") published a proposal for a European Biotech Act (the "Proposed Biotech Act" or "Proposal").

The resumed sixth session of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, held from 27 April to 1 May 2026, concluded without finalizing the much-anticipated Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system annex.

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.

When people walk into a restaurant, they expect to leave satisfied, not hospitalised. The duty placed on food vendors is not merely commercial, but is closely tied to public health and safety.

Following reports of Ebola virus cases in parts of Africa, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has issued a public health advisory outlining preventive measures for the public and healthcare workers.

The resumed sixth session of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, held from 27 April to 1 May 2026, concluded without finalizing the much-anticipated Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system annex.

On 18 May 2026, the Constitutional Court handed down a unanimous judgment in Solidarity Trade Union and Others v Minister of Health and Others, confirming the order of constitutional invalidity made by the Pretoria High Court