South Africans Face Fresh Medicine Price Increase as Supply Pressures Mount

South Africans are set to face higher medicine costs after government approved a second 2.88% increase in the single exit price of medicines and scheduled substances, effective from 1 October 2026, adding further pressure to patients, pharmacies and the wider healthcare sector. The increase follows growing concern from pharmaceutical manufacturers about rising production expenses, imported input costs and broader supply-chain pressures that have made it increasingly difficult to keep some medicines commercially viable in the local market. Industry representatives have warned that sustained cost increases can contribute to product withdrawals or shortages when regulated prices fail to keep pace with the cost of manufacturing and supplying medicines. The adjustment does not necessarily mean every medicine will increase by the full 2.88%, as manufacturers may choose whether or not to apply the permitted increase to individual products, but the change could still affect household healthcare budgets and medical-scheme spending. The development highlights the difficult balance regulators face between keeping essential medicines affordable for patients while ensuring that suppliers can continue providing products reliably in a market already under pressure from inflation, exchange-rate movements and international manufacturing costs.