Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
Price watchdog criticizes excessive prices for generics
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Deutsch
de
Preisüberwacher kritisiert stark überhöhte Preise für Generika
Original
Original medicines with expired patents cost on average only 62% of the Swiss price in other countries, price watchdog Stefan Meierhans reported in his newsletter on Tuesday.
The cheapest generic drug was available abroad for 39% of the Swiss price, i.e. 61% cheaper. Even in the most expensive comparison country, Spain, the cheapest generic drug cost 27% less. In the United Kingdom, the average price was only 16% of the Swiss price.
Meierhans concludes from this year’s price comparison and “the significantly inflated prices” that there is still considerable potential for savings in the healthcare sector. The results are similar to those of his price comparisons in previous years and most recently in 2021.
At the same time, it is clear that the measures taken so far are not sufficient. He is therefore calling for a new pricing mechanism based on an international price comparison specifically for generics and biosimilars.
More
More
Swiss health insurance premiums to rise 6% in 2025
This content was published on
Swiss health insurance premiums will rise by an average of 6% in 2025.
In addition, there should be a mandatory generics levy, the promotion of generics by removing approval hurdles and the prescription of active ingredients. Meierhans would also like to abolish the territorial principle. This would mean that basic insurance would pay for medicines obtained on prescription abroad if they are cheaper there.
Translated from German by DeepL/mga
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
US storm continues to sweep through Swiss stock market
This content was published on
The Swiss stock market continued to trade in the red mid-afternoon on Monday, following in the wake of the world's stock markets, which fell heavily as a result of the trade war launched by Donald Trump.
This content was published on
The referendum committee announced in Bern on Monday that it had collected more than 60,000 signatures against the e-ID project. The initials still need to be approved.
This content was published on
The number of offences committed by minors in canton Ticino, southern Switzerland, rose by over 20% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Swiss trout and pike found with excessive PFAS levels
This content was published on
Trout and pike in the lakes of western Switzerland contain excessive levels of the chemical group PFAS. This could jeopardise their saleability.
Swiss unions call for shorter days for construction workers
This content was published on
Construction workers need shorter days, say Swiss trade unions. Demonstrations are planned in Zurich and Lausanne on May 17.
Rapeseed restrictions cause problems for Swiss farmers
This content was published on
More and more Swiss farmers are abandoning rapeseed cultivation because they lack the means to protect the sensitive plants from pests.
Tariffs: Swiss index SMI down sharply in pre-market trading
This content was published on
The trade war unleashed by US President Donald Trump is causing a sell-off. According to experts' calculations, the leading Swiss SMI index is likely to fall by around 2%.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
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.