“It’s a sad situation that we’ve reached,” Enea Martinelli, a hospital pharmacist and board member of the pharmacist association pharmaSuisse, told Swiss public broadcaster SRF. The biggest problem, he said, is children’s medications, especially fever-reducing syrup, as well as blood pressure medications, psychiatric medications and Parkinson’s medications. Painkillers are also a problem.
The Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES) confirmed that supply disruptions are on the rise, indicating that the number of shortages of essential medicines is likely to be higher than in 2019.
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The end of affordable medicine
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Pharma companies are close to a cure for cancer, but will the hefty price tags make treatments unaffordable for most of the world?
The reasons are multiple but largely stem from the ongoing lockdowns in China and the war in Ukraine that have created supply bottlenecks. In some cases, it’s the active ingredient that’s missing while in others it is the vial or packaging. Switzerland is also a small country so not a big priority for drug makers.
The shortages have forced doctors to procure medicine from abroad in some cases, said Philippe Luchsinger, who heads the Swiss physicians’ association. Luchsinger called on people not to hoard medicines but rather “only buy medicines when you need them”.
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Situation in Swiss landslide valley remains unstable
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Authorities in Valais said on Thursday that it was still too dangerous to begin clear-up activities around the village of Blatten.
Spar Switzerland put up for sale by South African owner
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Talks with potential buyers of the 360-plus Spar stores in Switzerland are underway, but it’s not clear who’s in the running.
Further villages in Swiss landslide area avoid damage for now
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Due to the build-up of a lake behind the debris in Blatten, canton Valais, parts of neighbouring villages have been evacuated as a precaution.
Glacier collapses burying large parts of Swiss village Blatten
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A gigantic avalanche of ice, mud and debris has buried a large part of the village of Blatten after a major glacier collapsed.
Swiss government seeks better labour integration of Ukrainian refugees
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The Swiss government has now set a goal of 50% of Ukrainian refugees to be in employment by the end of 2025, compared with 38% at present.
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Limited number of drugs account for a fifth of all costs
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A lack of transparency around the pricing of many top-selling Swiss drugs is also a problem, said an umbrella group of health insurers on Wednesday.
Swiss industry group worried about global supply chain issues
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Despite high demand, the Swiss machinery, electrical engineering and metal (MEM) sector is still hampered by delivery bottlenecks.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.