Before any medicine can be sold in South Africa, it must be proven to be effective for the condition it is prescribed for, all safety measures identified, and the manufacturing process, conditions and materials used validated. This ensures that every dose takenby the patient is the same. It is then approved for sale by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and given a schedule to determine if it is allowed to be sold in a front shop, over the counter, or if it requires a prescription, and how much of the medicine may be given to a patient at a given time.