Swissmedic takes action to consolidate its financial position

Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, has taken on new tasks in recent years and is investing in the digitalisation of its systems and processes. To this end, reserves were built up and operating expenditure was increased during periods of rising income up until 2023. Since income has grown less strongly since 2024 than in the preceding years, Swissmedic ended last year with a deficit of 23.4 million Swiss francs and is also budgeting for losses in the next few years. As a result, the reserves are declining faster than planned. To avoid structural deficits, Swissmedic is optimising the use of its resources.

Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, is part of the decentralised federal administration, has its own budget and manages its own accounts. Over 80% of its income is derived from fees and levies paid by companies. The federal government contributes around 17% for legally stipulated tasks associated with the supervision of medicinal products and medical devices. In recent years, Swissmedic has systematically built up reserves and, as announced in 2023, has gradually been using these for investments in a future-proof digital infrastructure.

In the light of stricter EU medical device regulations and the breakdown of negotiations on the institutional framework agreement in May 2021, which resulted in the exclusion of Switzerland from the European system for medical device surveillance, Swissmedic has set up the new swissdamed database. The Agency has operated this since 2024, thereby ensuring that Switzerland maintains a level of transparency and safety that is equivalent to that of the EU. However, the stricter regulation has also resulted in a higher headcount. The digital transformation and expansion in other areas, for example the supervision of medicinal products, have also contributed to this increase.

Swissmedic's income from fees and levies is dependent on the business performance of the industry. Since it has been growing less strongly since 2024 than in the preceding years, the planned figure has been too high, which means that operating expenditure at its current level would no longer be covered in the medium term without countermeasures. Moreover, for the past few years the amount spent by Swissmedic on market surveillance and its other statutory tasks has no longer been covered by the federal contribution. Further investment is still required and planned in the digital transformation and the replacement of IT systems that have reached the end of their technological life cycle. In this scenario of falling income and rising expenditure, Swissmedic ended 2024 with a loss of 23.4 million francs. Under the current conditions, Swissmedic expects deficits to continue in 2025 and subsequent years.

In light of the above, the reserves are likely to fall faster and more sharply than expected in future unless action is taken. In order to reduce its operating expenditure, Swissmedic has already taken initial measures this year. The most effective levers to reduce costs are investment and personnel expenses. Additionally, to ensure long-term operational viability, material costs will be reduced by at least CHF 6 million and around 45 full-time equivalents cut over the next two years.

On the income side, there are plans to adjust fees in line with inflation and introduce a flat fee for registering medical devices. A legislative amendment is also being sought in order to improve the funding of activities associated with medical device surveillance by means of a supervisory levy. A motion that pursues this objective was submitted by the National Council Finance Committee on 11 November 2025.

The job cuts will be implemented in as socially responsible a manner as possible, with supportive measures to cushion the impact. As a result, Swissmedic will be able to focus even more strongly on prioritising and fulfilling its statutory tasks of authorisation, licensing and market surveillance. Swissmedic continues to ensure that the therapeutic products on the Swiss market are effective, safe and of high quality, and plays an important role in effectively protecting the health of people and animals in Switzerland.