Medical Disclaimer

1. Purpose of the PepUp Platform

PepUp provides technology, health-information, administrative and care-coordination services.

PepUp connects patients with independent healthcare practitioners participating in PepUp’s partner doctor network and, where appropriate, facilitates scheduling appointments, communication between patients, practitioners, laboratories, pharmacies and other authorised medicine suppliers.

Information made available through the PepUp website, application, questionnaires, metabolic-health profiles, educational materials, messages and other platform features is provided for general informational, educational and facilitation purposes.

Unless information is expressly provided to you by a registered healthcare practitioner following an appropriate consultation, it does not constitute medical advice, a medical diagnosis, a prescription or an individual treatment recommendation.

Do not disregard, delay obtaining or discontinue professional medical advice because of information made available through PepUp.

2. Questionnaires and Metabolic-Health Profiles

PepUp questionnaires and automatically generated metabolic-health profiles are intended to organise information supplied by you and identify matters that may be relevant for discussion with a healthcare practitioner.

They are not a substitute for:

• A consultation with a healthcare practitioner
• A physical examination where required
• Laboratory or diagnostic testing
• A medical diagnosis
• A prescription
• An individual treatment plan

Automated outputs may be incomplete or inaccurate if the information provided by you is incomplete, inaccurate or outdated.

You are responsible for providing complete and accurate information and for informing your healthcare practitioner of any changes to your symptoms, health, medicines, allergies or medical history.

3. Independent Partner Doctor Network

PepUp facilitates access to independent healthcare practitioners participating in PepUp’s partner doctor network.

These practitioners are not employed by PepUp and exercise independent professional and clinical judgment. Each practitioner remains responsible for their own professional services and clinical decisions, including:

• Determining whether a telehealth consultation is appropriate
• Reviewing the patient’s history and questionnaire
• Conducting the clinical assessment
• Requesting laboratory tests, examinations or referrals
• Making a diagnosis
• Recommending treatment
• Deciding whether to issue a prescription
• Selecting any medicine, formulation, dosage and treatment duration
• Monitoring treatment
• Modifying or discontinuing treatment
• Referring the patient for further or emergency care

PepUp does not instruct or require a practitioner to prescribe a particular medicine and does not guarantee that a practitioner will diagnose a particular condition, recommend treatment or issue a prescription.

A practitioner may determine that telehealth is not appropriate and may require an in-person consultation, examination, laboratory testing, specialist referral or emergency care.

4. Prescriptions and Medicine Suppliers

Where an independent practitioner decides that prescription treatment is clinically appropriate, the practitioner may send the prescription, with the patient’s authority, to:

• A pharmacy registered with the South African Pharmacy Council;
• A pharmacist or other person lawfully authorised to dispense the prescribed medicine; or
• A SAHPRA-licensed manufacturer or other establishment, but only where that entity is specifically authorised to supply the prescribed medicine directly to the identified patient.

The independent practitioner, dispensing pharmacy, pharmacist, manufacturer or other authorised medicine supplier is responsible for ensuring that the prescription and medicine are handled in accordance with applicable South African law and professional requirements.

PepUp does not alter prescriptions or make decisions about:

• Which medicine is prescribed
• Which formulation is used
• The dosage or treatment duration
• Whether a medicine may lawfully be compounded
• Whether a medicine is suitable for a particular patient
• Whether a prescription may lawfully be dispensed or supplied

5. Medicine Payments and Direct Billing

PepUp does not sell prescription medicines and does not accept or process payment from patients for prescription medicines.

Any charges for prescription medicines, compounding, dispensing, packaging or medicine delivery are invoiced directly to the patient by the independent pharmacy, pharmacist, manufacturer or other authorised medicine supplier responsible for providing the medicine.

PepUp does not:

• Invoice patients for prescription medicines
• Collect medicine payments on behalf of a medicine supplier
• Receive a commission based on the medicine selected or dispensed

PepUp may charge fees for its own platform, programme-management, facilitation and administrative services.

PepUp may also collect consultation and other professional fees on behalf of independent practitioners acting as a disclosed payment-collection agent.

A practitioner fee is charged for the professional service provided and is not a fee for issuing a prescription. Payment of a practitioner fee does not guarantee that a prescription will be issued.

PepUp may separately sell non-prescription products through the PepUp Shop and charge the product purchase price and applicable delivery fees.

PepUp’s charges are separate from blood test laboratory fees, prescription medicine costs, compounding and dispensing fees, and prescription-medicine delivery charges, except where a specific independent-provider fee is clearly identified and collected by PepUp as a disclosed payment agent.

6. Pharmacy, Manufacturing and Dispensing Responsibilities

The pharmacy, pharmacist, manufacturer or other authorised medicine supplier providing the prescribed medicine is independently responsible, as applicable, for:

• Confirming that it is properly registered, licensed and authorised
• Reviewing and validating the prescription
• Confirming the patient’s identity
• Determining whether the medicine may lawfully be supplied
• Determining whether patient-specific compounding is permitted
• Sourcing lawful ingredients and materials
• Manufacturing or preparing the medicine
• Quality control and product release
• Packaging and labelling
• Dispensing
• Providing medicine information and counselling
• Storage and cold-chain requirements
• Delivery
• Record keeping
• Handling medicine complaints
• Managing recalls
• Reporting medicine-related safety concerns

PepUp does not manufacture, compound, store, package, dispense or deliver medicines.

The availability of any particular medicine, formulation, strength or delivery service is not guaranteed.

7. Regulatory Status of Medicines

Depending on the independent practitioner’s clinical decision and the lawful options available, a patient may receive:

• A medicine registered by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority for the prescribed use;
• A registered medicine prescribed for a use that differs from its registered indication; or
• A patient-specific compounded medicine where compounding is permitted under South African law.

Where a registered medicine is prescribed outside its registered indication, SAHPRA may not have evaluated that specific use.

Patient-specific compounded medicines are not reviewed by SAHPRA through the ordinary medicine-registration process. SAHPRA does not verify the safety, efficacy or quality of each individual compounded medicine.

Compounding is subject to legal limitations and must be performed for an identified patient following a valid prescription. A compounded medicine must not be treated as a generally available, mass-manufactured or publicly advertised medicine.

Patients should ask their doctor and dispensing pharmacist or medicine supplier:

• Whether the medicine is registered with SAHPRA;
• Whether it is being prescribed outside its registered indication;
• Whether it is being compounded specifically for the patient;
• Who manufactured or prepared it;
• What quality and safety controls apply; and
• What risks, side effects and alternatives should be considered.

8. Treatment Risks and Side Effects

All medical treatments and medicines may involve risks, contraindications, interactions and side effects.

You should:

• Follow the instructions provided by your doctor and medicine supplier.
• Read the patient information and labelling supplied with your medicine.
• Inform your doctor and pharmacist of all medicines, supplements and substances you use.
• Contact your doctor or pharmacist if you experience side effects or have concerns about treatment.
• Seek urgent medical attention for severe, unexpected or rapidly worsening symptoms.

Do not adjust your dosage, share your medicine, stop prescribed treatment or start another treatment without appropriate professional advice.

9. Results May Vary

Health and treatment outcomes vary between individuals.

Results may be affected by factors including:

• Medical history
• Genetics
• Age
• Existing health conditions
• Treatment suitability
• Treatment adherence
• Nutrition
• Physical activity
• Sleep
• Other medicines
• Programme participation
• Follow-up and monitoring

PepUp does not guarantee any particular medical, metabolic, weight, body-composition, laboratory or treatment outcome.

Testimonials and patient stories reflect individual experiences only. They should not be interpreted as guarantees or as evidence that another patient will achieve the same result.

10. Non-Prescription Products

Products offered through the PepUp Shop are sold separately from PepUp’s clinical coordination services. The purchase of a shop product does not establish a practitioner-patient relationship and does not constitute medical advice.

Product descriptions are intended to provide general information and should be read together with the product label, directions, warnings and manufacturer information.

Before using a supplement or other health product, consult an appropriate healthcare practitioner if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, use prescription medicine, have allergies or are uncertain whether the product is suitable for you.

PepUp does not guarantee that any shop product will diagnose, prevent, treat or cure a medical condition unless such a claim is lawfully authorised for that product.

11. Emergencies

PepUp is not an emergency medical service and the platform is not continuously monitored for medical emergencies.

Do not use platform messages, email, questionnaires or appointment requests to request emergency assistance.

In a medical emergency:

• Dial 112 from a cellphone;
• Contact ambulance or emergency medical services on 10177; or
• Attend the nearest hospital emergency department.

12. Availability of Services

Access to the platform, participating practitioners, laboratories, pharmacies, medicine suppliers, appointments, prescriptions and medicines may be affected by:

• Clinical suitability
• Practitioner availability
• Geographic location
• Stock availability
• Supplier capacity
• Technical interruptions
• Legal or regulatory requirements

PepUp does not guarantee uninterrupted access to any practitioner, prescription, medicine, pharmacy, supplier or related service.

13. Responsibility of Independent Providers

Doctors, laboratories, pharmacies, pharmacists, manufacturers, couriers and other service providers participating in a patient’s journey operate as independent providers.

Each provider is responsible for:

• Its own professional services
• Its registrations and licences
• Its staff and contractors
• Its clinical or pharmaceutical decisions
• Its invoices and charges
• Its legal and regulatory compliance
• Its records
• Its errors, omissions and service delivery

Nothing in this disclaimer excludes or limits any right, duty, responsibility or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under South African law.

14. Related Terms

This disclaimer should be read together with PepUp’s:

• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Notice
• Patient Consent documentation
• Practitioner terms
• Pharmacy and medicine-supplier terms
• PepUp Shop Terms and Returns Policy

For questions about PepUp’s platform or service fees, contact:

support@pepup.co.za

For questions about a consultation, diagnosis, prescription or treatment, contact the independent treating practitioner.

For questions about the price, preparation, dispensing, delivery or use of a medicine, contact the pharmacy, pharmacist, manufacturer or other authorised medicine supplier identified on the invoice or medicine label.