South Africa’s health regulator has stepped up action against illegal weight-loss drugs after serious safety concerns were raised over unregistered injectable products.

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, known as SAHPRA, says its latest enforcement action targets GLP-1 and GIP medicines. These include products linked to semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are widely marketed for weight management.

The crackdown comes as demand for weight-loss injections continues to grow. But SAHPRA has warned that unregistered medicines can put patients at real risk, especially when safety checks are ignored.

Pretoria Pharmacy Flagged

SAHPRA and the South African Pharmacy Council carried out a joint inspection on 11 May 2026 at iDexis (Pty) Ltd, trading as Sentra Pharmacy in Silverton, Pretoria.

According to SAHPRA, officials found that the facility was illegally manufacturing and marketing GIP and GLP-1 injectable products under the cover of “compounding”.

Compounding is only allowed for individual patients when there is a valid prescription. SAHPRA says the pharmacy was instead producing the medicines for wider commercial distribution.

Safety Failures Uncovered

Officials reported several major concerns at the site.

These included the illegal importation of active pharmaceutical ingredients, including semaglutide and tirzepatide. SAHPRA also found no analytical testing to confirm the identity, strength and purity of the drugs.

The inspection also flagged poor sterile manufacturing conditions, inadequate equipment for aseptic medical products and no pharmacovigilance system to track bad reactions.

SAHPRA said these failures are especially concerning because adverse events, including hospitalisations, have been linked to these kinds of products

Products Seized and Recall Ordered

SAHPRA has seized all finished products containing semaglutide, tirzepatide and related combinations found at the premises.

The company has also been ordered to recall affected products that were distributed through healthcare providers and pharmacies.

SAHPRA CEO Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela said the unlawful manufacture, importation, advertising and distribution of unregistered medicines poses a serious public health risk.

SAPC CEO Vincent Tlala also warned that unlawful manufacturing and promotion of unregistered GLP-1 medicines for weight loss is a direct threat to patient safety.