Subsequent to the approval of the Memorandum of Understanding by Swissmedic and the VMD in the area of veterinary medicinal products in January 2023, the collaboration between the two authorities has been specified in greater detail.
Simultaneous submission of applications for authorisation of veterinary medicinal products to both authorities is now possible with immediate effect. Applications will be reviewed independently (simultaneously) in close collaboration and according to the same time limit schedule. The new procedure means that expertise and resources can be pooled both by the authorities and by industry. While the two authorities take independent decisions on authorisation, these are synchronised, enabling parallel market access in both countries.
The aim of the collaboration is rapid access to safe veterinary medicinal products. To this end, Swissmedic and the VMD are creating optimum conditions for the veterinary pharmaceutical industry by simplifying and accelerating processes.
In this connection, the two authorities have issued a new guidance document. This describes the collaboration process and supplements the legal and regulatory requirements for Switzerland and the UK.
Companies interested in pilot projects can find the document Switzerland-United Kingdom Regulatory Cooperation: Guidance on Veterinary Drug Simultaneous Reviews on the Swissmedic website under