Abbott operates in South Africa through two separate companies, and they do not share a switchboard. Abbott Laboratories (Pty) Ltd covers nutrition, diabetes care and pharmaceuticals; Abbott Rapid Diagnostics (Pty) Ltd is a distinct legal entity with its own number.
Official contact channels
- Abbott Laboratories (Pty) Ltd: 011 858 2000
- Abbott Rapid Diagnostics (Pty) Ltd: 010 017 6500
- Nutrition customer careline: 0861 226 887
- Diabetes customer careline: 0800 222 688
- Reporting a side effect: [email protected]
- Product quality complaints: [email protected]
The two carelines are consumer lines and the two mailboxes are not. Use a careline for advice about a product you are using, and the pharmacovigilance address only for reporting that something went wrong medically.
What this organisation provides
- Nutrition products, including infant and adult nutritional formulas
- Diabetes care, including continuous glucose monitoring
- Pharmaceuticals and branded generic medicines
- Rapid diagnostics and point-of-care testing, through the separate diagnostics company
- Medical devices and laboratory diagnostics
If your query is about a glucose sensor or a test strip, the diabetes careline is the fastest route and it is toll free. Nutrition queries, including formula preparation and supply, go to the 0861 line, which is charged at a share-call rate rather than free.
Address and operating information
- Abbott Laboratories: PO Box 7208, Weltevredenpark, Johannesburg, 1717
- Abbott Rapid Diagnostics: PO Box 2428, Bedfordview, Gauteng, 2008
- Both are registered South African companies rather than branch offices
- Postal addresses are published rather than street addresses for public contact
- No public trading hours are published for either company
Because only postal addresses are published, this is not a walk-in operation. Product supply runs through pharmacies, hospitals and wholesalers rather than direct to the public.
Support and escalation routes
- Product advice: the nutrition or diabetes careline above
- Adverse events and side effects: [email protected], and also report to your doctor or pharmacist
- Faulty or contaminated product: [email protected]
- Medicines, medical devices and diagnostics in South Africa are regulated by SAHPRA, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, which also takes adverse event reports directly
- A consumer complaint about a product bought at retail can go to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud on 0860 000 272
Report a suspected side effect to both the company and SAHPRA. Manufacturers are legally obliged to pass reports on, but a direct report to the regulator is independent of that and is what builds the safety record for a product.
Sources
- Abbott global locations and contacts, South Africa entry, abbott.com, read 3 September 2026