20 years of loyalty 200 years of Swissmedic at a glance

Andreas Schlegel

… originally joined Swissmedic from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). The qualified biochemist now works in market surveillance for medical devices, monitoring serious incidents and market recalls with a special focus on laboratory devices.

Andreas Schlegel, what is your favourite place inside and outside Swissmedic?

"At Swissmedic it's our break room on the top floor overlooking Erlachstrasse. Because the view from up there is fantastic and it's a great place to talk with other people. We’re always meeting in the break room to talk shop about the latest trends in science, politics or occasionally about football. Otherwise, during the day we're all busy with individual case studies. In my free time, I often travel to the cliffs on the Ligurian coast, which is a magical, invigorating place. In its mild climate I can recharge my batteries hiking or just doing nothing."

Nicoletta Paniga

… is a trained Pharmaceutical Assistant. She first worked in a pharmacy and then at a health insurer before moving to the IOCM and, finally, Swissmedic as an administrator in the Authorisation division – where she has remained to this day. Paniga originally comes from the village of the same name in the Valtellina valley in Italy.

Nicoletta Paniga, do you sometimes dream about your work?

"More often in the past than I do now. When I started, we still worked with physical dossiers, and they were everywhere throughout the division. I sometimes felt as if I were being beaten down by the sheer volume of the dossiers – until this very scenario occurred in my dreams. At the time, I thought that I wouldn't survive my probationary period. Somehow I managed to put these feelings to one side, thanks partly to my boss at the time, who was always willing to listen to me and gave me a warm welcome. Fortunately, I rarely dream about work nowadays."

Helena Bill

… had been in charge of an association secretariat for eight years before joining the IOCM on a part-time basis (30%). She now works on a 70% basis as a Senior Pharmacovigilance Assistant in the Safety of Medicines division.

Helena Bill, do you still remember your first day at work?

"Yes, of course. It was almost 28 years ago, on 1 September 1994, at the Intercantonal Office for the Control of Medicines (IOCM). I had recently become a mother, and now I've just become a grandmother for the second time. I’ve always been very interested in medicine and I wanted to learn something new. I started working for Friederike Grimm in the then New Chemical Entities division (NCE). Although a little nervous, I was highly motivated and was warmly welcomed by the team. Today, only two colleagues from that time are still at Swissmedic."

Thomas Hottiger

… comes from the Canton of Aargau. He studied botany in Basel before taking the plunge and crossing the Atlantic to the USA to work as a post-doc at the California Institute of Technology. After making a detour into industry, including working for a multinational pharmaceutical company in Basel, he joined Swissmedic 20 years ago as a Quality Reviewer.

Thomas Hottiger, what has given you your greatest sense of achievement in your work?

"A few years ago, we suddenly started receiving a lot of reports of complications occurring in patients who had been treated with immunoglobulin. The immunoglobulin infusions resulted in haemolysis, which means that the red blood cells were being destroyed. Together with the laboratory and our colleagues in Germany, we managed to identify the underlying cause of the problem. Eventually, the manufacture of the products concerned was adapted so that such complications hardly ever occur nowadays."

Georges Meseguer

… is a trained pharmacist. He studied at the universities of Neuchâtel and Geneva and subsequently wrote a doctoral thesis on pharmaceutical technology. After making a detour into the pharmaceutical industry, he moved to German-speaking Switzerland. He now heads the Certificates and Licences Unit at Swissmedic.

Georges Meseguer, have you ever expressed your opinion to someone in no uncertain terms?

"When I started working as an inspector, I approached the managers of a company and told them that their quality system did not meet the international standards stipulated by the law. I spoke very plainly to them. But it didn't stop there: Later, I was often put to work on special cases and difficult situations, in some cases even involving house searches. A lot changed with the outbreak of COVID-19, because we had to socially distance and in many cases, we could no longer see what was happening on site. I look forward to sitting down face to face with people again in the near future."

Jeanette Rogl

… is a trained laboratory assistant. She has experienced and been involved first hand in all technical developments in the lab over the past 30 years. Her current job is substantially different from her role when she joined the then IOCM more than 25 years ago. This is primarily due to the rapid pace of technological developments, the great importance of quality management and the numerous new processes and methods.

Jeannette Rogl, where do you see yourself in 20 years?

"Retired, but still on the go. I imagine travelling the world with my husband, my children and possibly grandchildren. Setting out and exploring something new has always been my thing. Before the pandemic, we went to Japan and Indonesia – Asia is extremely diverse and has a particular charm. It’s important for me to treat the natural world and the countries I visit with respect. I’d also like to improve my language skills. There’s still some potential here although, for example, my English is already better than it used to be due to my job."

Natalie Lütolf

… has always been interested in medicine – throughout her legal studies she worked as a hospital assistant at the Inselspital in Bern. She then learned about the regulatory requirements of the therapeutic products legislation at federal level and was eventually invited by the IOCM to join the newly created Legal Affairs sector at Swissmedic. She now works as a Senior Lawyer in the Legal Division Medicines.

Natalie Lütolf, have you ever thought about changing your job?

"It's natural to think about such things. But I really love my job. I'm fascinated by the work itself; the people and the environment are great, and I enjoy the interdisciplinary teamwork and the international aspect. But what I find most striking is that people have very little idea about what it takes and how much is involved before a medicine can be placed on the market."

Urs Meyer

… is a trained chemical laboratory technician. Originally from Bern, he joined the IOCM in 1991 and, over the years, has developed into a specialist in IT issues. He introduced new applications and now supports the whole Licensing sector with any issues involving IT.

Urs Meyer, what type of collaboration do you cultivate with other authorities?

"I have learned that it is better if I record what has been decided in writing. Because then it’s defined in black and white, and it's not possible to misinterpret the content. This even applies to procedures and protocols agreed with people that we have already been working well with for years and who are perfectly trustworthy; for example, people who work for the FOPH, the Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT) or drug manufacturers and suppliers. I've always had positive experiences with this system."

Markus Lehmann

… has been responsible for Facility Management for 24 years, first at the IOCM, then at Swissmedic. A lot has changed in his job during this time, as Lehmann has moved seamlessly from one interesting project to the next. He is currently working on renewable energy generation and the field of borehole heat exchangers at the head office on Hallerstrasse.

Markus Lehmann, please tell us about your favourite project that you have brought to fruition at Swissmedic?

"I particularly enjoyed the construction projects for the three Swissmedic buildings on Freiburgstrasse, Hallerstrasse and Erlachstrasse, all of which I helped design and oversee. On the Freiburgstrasse project I was involved from the search for a site right through to the handover of the building. I was confronted with issues that I had never encountered before. I value the wide variety of my job – and the fact that much of the work focuses on physical processes, on tangible and visual aspects."

Renate Müller

… is a trained druggist. Over 35 years ago she spontaneously applied for a job at the IOCM – and initially worked in the office that received all the applications for therapeutic products. She then compiled articles for the IOCM Bulletin and now works as a Web Assistant in the IT department.

Renate Müller, what has changed over the last 20 years?

"Almost everything – we're constantly in a state of transformation. The systems are always rapidly being perfected, and we have to keep on the ball and up to date with the latest developments at all times. We're always having to start afresh in numerous issues. But I take everything as it comes and am always open to learn something new. As a Web Assistant I've already been working mostly from home for the past 20 years. I view this as a privilege since it has enabled me to achieve the perfect work-family balance."