More than 700 medicines face shortages across Switzerland

More than 700 medicine packs are caught in supply bottlenecks across Switzerland. The figure, reported by drugshortage.ch, covers individual packs rather than only unique drugs, giving patients, pharmacies and hospitals a broad view of products that may be difficult to obtain.

The shortages matter most when substitutes are limited or treatment cannot be interrupted. Drugshortage.ch identifies 67 medicines containing 42 distinct active ingredients as critical or very critical. These include products used in cancer care, infection treatment, ophthalmology, blood disorders, neurology, pain relief and heart disease. Other affected areas include anaesthesia, obstetrics, endocrinology and supportive care.

Hospital pharmacist Enea Martinelli established the platform after concluding that the federal system did not provide a wide enough picture. Swiss authorities monitor shortages and interruptions, but their work concentrates mainly on medicines classified as essential. Martinelli’s database incorporates information from pharmaceutical companies and a wholesaler supplying healthcare providers.

The result is a more detailed warning system for a problem that reaches beyond hospital procurement. A missing pack can force pharmacists to search for another strength, formulation or supplier. For patients, that can mean delays, substitutions or additional consultations.

Cancer treatment accounts for the largest identified group among the critical shortages. The analysis of drugshortage.ch lists 10 active ingredients used in oncology. Infections, eye conditions and blood disorders each account for five active ingredients, while neurology accounts for four.

The list also includes three ingredients for pain relief, three for heart disease and two for addiction treatment. One is used in psychiatry. Several other shortages affect endocrinology, obstetrics, anaesthesia and supportive care. These figures describe active ingredients, not a complete count of every medicine pack or every affected therapeutic product.

The distinction is important for clinicians. One active ingredient can appear in several brands, strengths or formulations, while a shortage of one presentation may leave another available. Conversely, a limited number of suppliers can make a single interruption affect many products at once.

Older generic medicines, antibiotics, injectable cancer drugs and opioids are especially exposed internationally because they often have few manufacturers or require demanding production processes. A shortage therefore does not necessarily signal a lack of medical need. It can reflect a fragile manufacturing network behind a familiar, low-cost medicine.

A single disruption overseas can reach a Swiss pharmacy through several routes. Pharmaceutical supply chains have become more concentrated across developed countries. Many active ingredients and finished medicines now come from only a small number of manufacturers.

A quality failure, production delay, raw material shortage, transport problem or sudden rise in demand at one facility can reduce supplies in several countries at once. Older generics and injectable products are particularly vulnerable because production can be complex while the commercial market remains small.

Switzerland faces additional constraints. Its population and market are relatively small, which can make it less attractive for manufacturers to maintain multiple suppliers or prioritise Swiss deliveries when stocks tighten. The country also depends heavily on international production.

The state is already compensating for some weaknesses in the commercial chain. The source report notes that certain medicines on the Swiss shortage list are being supplied from mandatory reserves. Those reserves can provide time and continuity, but they do not remove the underlying dependence on foreign production, limited manufacturing capacity or private decisions about where to send scarce stock.

For hospitals, the operational burden can include repeated searches for alternatives, revised treatment plans and additional coordination with wholesalers. The source material does not quantify patient harm, but it identifies the conditions that can make disruptions harder to manage.

Parliament has accepted that medicine security requires a stronger federal response. The popular initiative titled Yes to the Security of Medical Care was debated in the National Council during the week covered by the report. It was launched by a broad coalition from the healthcare sector and is backed by Enea Martinelli.

The National Council recommended that voters reject the initiative while supporting a direct counter proposal from the Federal Council. Five of the six parliamentary groups agreed that the shortages represent a genuine problem. Most preferred the government’s approach because they considered it more targeted.

The Swiss People’s Party opposed both the initiative and the counter proposal. The measures will now proceed to the Council of States, meaning the parliamentary process is not complete and the final policy framework has yet to be settled.

The debate centres on how far the federal government should go to secure supplies. The source material does not specify the full legal measures contained in the initiative or the counter proposal. It does show the political divide clearly: broad recognition of the supply problem, combined with disagreement over the scope and design of the federal response.

The next decision will shape how Switzerland prepares for the next interruption. The current figures show both the scale of the reporting challenge and the limits of a narrow definition of essential medicines. Drugshortage.ch tracks more than the products covered by the federal monitoring system, while also distinguishing between critical and very critical cases.

That broader view can help healthcare providers identify pressure before it reaches the most sensitive treatments. It can also expose how much depends on information supplied by manufacturers and wholesalers. Better visibility alone cannot create production capacity, diversify suppliers or guarantee deliveries to a small national market.

The political process now moves to the Council of States. Senators will consider the initiative and the Federal Council’s direct counter proposal after the National Council’s recommendation. Their decisions will determine whether Switzerland adopts a new framework and how responsibilities are divided between the federal authorities, manufacturers, wholesalers and healthcare providers.

For patients, the immediate issue remains practical: whether a prescribed medicine is available when it is needed, and whether a clinically suitable alternative exists. For hospitals and pharmacies, the shortage list is a planning tool. For policymakers, it is evidence that supply security involves procurement, reserves, international production and reliable national monitoring.