Information for healthcare professionals from market surveillance of medicinal products
Pharmacovigilance in the spotlight
Learning from adverse reaction reports – cases from pharmacovigilance
The purpose of this new section is to use real-life case reports from Switzerland as a reminder of possible side effects that professionals should be aware of in day-to-day clinical practice. The only way to protect patients against undesirable effects is to take account of and report medicinal product risks.
12.10.2026
Antipsychotics, aripiprazole, haloperidol, levomepromazine, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, NMS, hyperthermia, muscular rigidity, altered mental status, autonomic instability
24.04.2026
Methotrexate | MTX | liver cirrhosis | pulmonary fibrosis | interstitial lung disease (ILD) | rheumatoid arthritis | psoriasis | Crohn's disease | autoimmune disorder
06.02.2026
Cephalosporins | ceftriaxone | Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction | spirochaetal infection | leptospirosis
06.01.2026
Medication error | wrong product | Phosphonorm® | Phoscap | hypophosphataemia | hyperphosphataemia | phosphate
24.10.2025
Intraoperative floppy iris syndrome | tamsulosin | alpha-1 adrenergic receptor antagonist | IFIS | flaccid iris | iris prolapse | lens loss | detached retina | endophthalmitis
12.09.2025
aseptic Meningitis | non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) | ibuprofen | mefenamic Acid | Ponstan® | antibiotics (sulfonamides, penicillins) | sulfamethoxazole | trimethoprim | co-trimoxazole | Bactrim® forte | intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) | human immunoglobulin | Intratect® 10% | monoclonal antibodies
07.08.2025
Taste disorder | dysgeusia | ageusia | anosmia | sense of taste | gefapixant | celecoxib
27.06.2025
alterazioni della voce | raucedine | effetto collaterale ormonale | antagonista del recettore dei mineralcorticoidi | antagonista del recettore dell’aldosterone | recettore degli steroidi | recettore degli androgeni| recet-tore del progesterone | diuretico risparmiatore di potassio | antiandrogeno | spironolattone | aldactone | uso off-label | alopecia androgenetica | alopecia | ginecomastia | mastodinia | alterazioni della libido |disturbi mestruali | alte-razioni della potenza erettile
02.05.2025
Finasteride | erectile dysfunction | impaired concentration | loss of drive | persistent disorders | alopecia | androgenetic alopecia
07.04.2025
Palforzia | eosinophilic oesophagitis | eoe | eosinophilic granulocytes | difficulty swallowing | peanut allergy | allergy
24.03.2025
sartans | valsartan | NSAIDs | hyperkalaemia | electrolyte disorders
10.01.2025
Octenisept | wound disinfection | wound irrigation | tissue necrosis | octenidine | phenoxyethanol | myositis | fasciitis | medication error | tissue damage
2024 - 2022
22.11.2024
Medicinal product mix-up | medication error | insulin | Apidra | Lantus | hypoglycaemia | hypoglycaemic coma
01.11.2024
Sertraline | duloxetine | selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors | colitis | diarrhoea
23.09.2024
SonoVue | anaphylactic reaction | shock | hypersensitivity | diagnostics | macrogol | sulphur hexafluoride | vasovagal reaction
30.08.2024
Suicidality | suicidal ideation | suicidal behaviour | antiepileptics | neuropathic pain | Lyrica | pregabalin | fluoroquinolones | Tavanic | levofloxacin | Ritalin | methylphenidate hydrochloride
22.07.2024
Isotretinoin | teratogenicity
28.05.2024
Eosinophilic pneumonia | daptomycin | antibiotics | staphylococci | antibiotic resistance
03.05.2024
Paxlovid | CYP3A4 | inhibitors | tacrolimus | narrow therapeutic range | trazodone | ritonavir | nirmatrelvir | COVID-19
22.04.2024
Methotrexate | overdose | pancytopenia | dose adjustment Rheumatoid arthritis | palliative therapy | stomatitis
19.02.2024
Vaccinations | tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) | basic immunisation | booster | Swiss vaccination plan
22.12.2023
Hormonal contraceptives | depression | estradiol | dienogest
17.11.2023
infants | vaccinations | hypotonia | hyporesponsive episode | apathy | HHE | basic immunisation | Swiss vaccination plan
29.09.2023
iron products | ferric carboxymaltose | parenteral iron | hypophosphataemia.
11.08.2023
Tizanidine | Sirdalud | pharmacokinetic interactions | drug interactions | muscle relaxant | antispasmodic agent | CYP1A2 inhibitors | fluvoxamine | ciprofloxacin
07.07.2023
Betaseptic | skin disinfection | burn | propanol | ethanol | povidone-iodine
01.06.2023
Contraceptive | venous thrombosis | pulmonary embolism | drospirenone | chlormadinone acetate
09.05.2023
Novalgin | metamizole | agranulocytosis
11.04.2023
Loperamide | overdose | drug dependency | opiate withdrawal symptoms | QT interval
08.02.2023
Pancreatitis | Ozempic | semaglutide | Imurek | azathioprine | isotretinoin
26.11.2022
Fluoroquinolones | moxifloxacin | iprofloxacin | levofloxacin | tendon rupture | Achilles tendon
21.11.2022
Hyperthyroidism | amiodarone | thyroiditis | iodine level
Swissmedic Vigilance-News
Topical aspects of medicinal product risk assessment
Twice a year, the Safety of Medicines Division reports on current topics relating to adverse reaction surveillance and the evaluation of safety signals. Swissmedic's "Vigilance News" appears twice a year as an online resource.
07.05.2026
In this edition, among others:
- Improving the detection of adverse drug reactions in hospital discharge summaries using natural language processing
- Immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myositis with myasthenia gravis-like presentation and myocarditis
- Fixed drug eruption in association with tetracyclines
- Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) – the reporting obligation in Switzerland
- ICH E2D(R1) Guideline on Safety Data Management entered the implementation phase of the ICH Process
- Statistical review of the activities of the Safety of Medicines division in 2025
18.11.2025
In this edition, among others:
- Fluoroquinolone-associated disability
- Semaglutide and tirzepatide for weight management – updates on efficacy and harms
- Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) in a patient treated with semaglutide
- Enhancing drug safety: the role of pharmacovigilance in paediatrics
- Summary of adverse events following immunization reported in Switzerland during 2024
15.05.2025
In this edition, among others:
- Late-onset immune-related AEs with immune checkpoint inhibitors
- Interstitial lung disease associated with abemaciclib
- PML, IRIS and S1PRM: Product Information update
- Valproate: Swiss individual case reports of CM and NDD
- Statistical review of the activities of the division Safety of Medicines 2024
