Switzerland binned unused Covid vaccines worth CHF1.3 billion

Only a quarter of the doses purchased by Switzerland have been used, according to news reports. Keystone-SDA

The Swiss government threw away unused Covid-19 vaccines worth CHF1.3 billion ($1.5 billion), new figures show.

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The Federal Finance Administration confirmed the amount to the Keystone-SDA news agency, following an earlier report on the vaccines in the Sonntagszeitung and Le Matin Dimanche newspapers on Sunday.

Only a quarter of the doses purchased by Switzerland have been used, the news reports stated.

Between 2020 and 2023, Switzerland purchased Covid medical supplies worth around CHF2.3 billion. Material worth CHF570 million was used in Switzerland. It also sent vaccines worth CHF270 million abroad as humanitarian aid.

This leaves material worth CHF1.45 billion. According to the government accounts, this was “value-adjusted”.

The Federal Finance Administration said 90% of the value adjustments relate to vaccines that had to be disposed of after their expiry date. This corresponds to over CHF1.3 billion.

Adapted from German by DeepL/sb

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