Illegal pharmaceuticals


As of 1 January 2019, anyone who produces, sells or distributes medicinal products is required by law to report to Swissmedic any suspicion of illegal trading in such products.

A new version of the Information sheet on notification of suspected illegal trading in medicinal products has been available since 1 September 2022.

Examples from the new content:
The revised information sheet

  • clarifies the criteria for cases to be notified in connection with mandatory notification when there is a suspicion of illegal trading in medicinal products
  • supplements the legal basis as specified in Annex 4 of the Medicinal Products Licensing Ordinance (MPLO; SR 812.212.1)
  • mentions the special case of returns from the pharmacy
  • specifies exemptions to mandatory notification for falsified or illegally traded medicinal products manufactured for foreign markets
  • gives further details regarding notifications of theft/loss

Medicrime Convention


Counterfeiting and illegal sales of medicines and medical devices constitute a major threat to health.

Combatting the counterfeiting of medicinal products and medical devices calls for concerted action at the international level.

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Ten years of the Medicrime Convention

Ten years ago, Switzerland was one of the first states to sign the Medicrime Convention.

Importing and exporting medicinal products by individuals


Illegal medicinal products from the Internet

Find out in this video why you should be careful when buying medicinal products online, and what happens if customs officials discover that a consignment addressed to you contains illegally imported medicinal products.

Contact/address

Announcements, warnings, statistics


24.08.2023

Medicrime meeting 2023

Collective enforcement against illegal therapeutic products

07.07.2023

Swissmedic issues warning about falsified Ozempic pens

Hospitalisations following use of falsified Ozempic pens – Swissmedic advises against purchasing medicinal products online and from unreliable sources abroad

21.04.2023

Swissmedic issues warning about erectile stimulants from online sources

Man hospitalised after taking illegal erectile stimulants – Swissmedic issues warning about erectile stimulants from Internet sources

04.04.2023

Update – Warning about supposedly herbal products

Swissmedic is issuing an urgent warning regarding slimming products and other supposedly natural products

10.02.2023

Illegal imports 2022: many confiscated shipments contained erectile stimulants

Number of illegally imported therapeutic products has decreased

Campaigns


https://www.swissmedic.ch/content/swissmedic/en/medicrime.html