08.04.2019
Publication of the decisions
Medicinal products which until now were in dispensing category C are being reallocated as part of a regular administrative procedure. The individual reallocation decisions will be published in the Swissmedic Journal. From the end of May, moreover, Swissmedic will publish a summary of all medicinal products reallocated to category B (as per Art 45 para. 3 TPO) which will subsequently be updated on a monthly basis. Since reallocation to dispensing category B has an influence on the dispensing modalities, a distinction is made as regards the timing of publication as to whether the medicinal product is allocated to dispensing category B or dispensing category D.
Where a medicinal product is allocated to dispensing category B, Swissmedic may only publish the reallocation decisions in the Swissmedic Journal after the decisions have entered legal force and, in particular, must wait until the 30-day period for objections has elapsed. Following publication of these reallocations in the Swissmedic Journal, the dispensing provisions set out in the revised therapeutic products legislation will apply, namely: the medicinal products in question can continue to be dispensed by the pharmacist without a medical prescription. However, such dispensing must be accompanied by expert advice and must be documented.
The precise dispensing modalities are defined by the cantonal pharmacist, who is responsible for the supervision of dispensing.