Serious accusations against top South African pharmaceutical giant

Adcock Ingram has responded to allegations regarding the health and safety standards maintained at its Clayville plant in Gauteng.

Adcock Ingram is one of South Africa’s largest pharmaceutical players in the private market, known for popular products such as Panado, Citro-Soda, Compral, Allergex, Myprodol, and Bioplus

Founded in 1890, it is also one of South Africa’s oldest companies, and is currently majority owned by JSE-listed giant Bidvest.

The company’s Clayville plant is described as a high-volume liquids facility, operating as a state-of-the-art, highly automated factory primarily producing oral liquids and effervescent formulations.

Allegations regarding its Clayville plant arose after a Carte Blanche investigation claimed that conditions in the factory put workers’ safety at risk.

The company has rejected these allegations, saying the Carte Blanche broadcast does not accurately reflect the production environment at its Clayville plant and that it maintains high compliance with health and safety regulations.

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has also stepped in to deny the allegations, saying it conducted routine inspections and, while it found some areas of non-compliance, those were addressed.

On Sunday, 22 February, well-known South African broadcaster Carte Blanche aired its investigation into worker conditions at Adcock Ingram’s Clayville plant.

The investigation focused mainly on the plant’s production of Adcock Ingram’s Citro-Soda lemon flavour product.

In the broadcast, which included video evidence of conditions within the plant, Carte Blanche spoke to a registered pharmacist and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) lead auditor, Gareth Kilian.

Kilian explained that the substances seen in the video are not “toxic material by any means”, but said they have the potential to cause irritation in the lungs.

He said this presents a health and safety concern, as well as concerns over potential cross-contamination.

An anonymous source, a former employee who spoke to Carte Blanche, alleged that the extraction system at the processing plant did not work, potentially exposing workers to health risks.

This anonymous source claimed management has “not bothered” to address the potential health risks.

Adcock Ingram and SAHPRA respond

In response to questions from Daily Investor, an Adcock Ingram spokesperson rejected the allegations levied in the Carte Blanche broadcast.

The spokesperson said it does not accurately reflect the plant’s production environment and it poses no health, safety, or product quality risks.

In addition, the spokesperson said a March 2025 independent risk management audit found that the Clayville plant achieved a 98.59% compliance score and a five-star certification.

The spokesperson added that the facility is also subject to regular regulatory inspections by the Department of Employment and Labour and the Ekurhuleni Municipality.

It further said no occupational diseases have been recorded or reported at the site over the past 10 years.

“Adcock Ingram Clayville is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy working environment and therefore encourages all employees to proactively and reactively report any unsafe conditions, acts, or practices,” it said.

“Adcock Ingram remains fully licensed, and the Clayville facility operates under the oversight of the SAHPRA, the competent authority for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliance in South Africa.” 

In a separate statement issued by SAHPRA CEO Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, the regulator said it conducted routine GMP inspections at the Clayville facility between August 2023 and October 2024.

The regulator noted that, following an August 2023 inspection, it identified corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs) in the plant’s sterile manufacturing section, which SAHPRA followed up on in a June 2024 verification.

This verification found that the section is compliant, with the issues closed. Another unannounced April 2025 inspection was conducted following a complaint about unhygienic conditions, and specifically to review the Citro-Soda Batch Manufacturing Records.

During this inspection, SAHPRA performed microbiological tests for a previously affected packaging room and found that the impacted products and room tested negative for contamination.

However, the regulator noted that its inspectors found that cleaning logs at the plant lacked specific cleaning times and instructed the company to update them for campaign batches.

“SAHPRA wishes to assure the public that all allegations relating to possible regulatory infringements or risks resulting from non-compliance to GMP that compromise product quality and patient safety are treated with the utmost urgency,” it said.