19 June 2026

At its meeting of 19 June 2026, the Federal Council opened the consultation procedure on a partial revision of the Federal Act on Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (Therapeutic Products Act, TPA), implementing measures it had previously decided on 21 August 2024 and 20 March 2026 to strengthen the security of supply. The revision aims to improve the availability of inexpensive but essential medicines during shortages, in particular antibiotics and treatments for chronic conditions such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and mental illness.

Under the proposal, wholesalers and importers could temporarily import and place on the market non-authorised medicinal products in the event of a shortage; public pharmacies, hospital pharmacies and the Army Pharmacy could manufacture such products themselves; and products subject to comparable medicines control abroad could benefit from a simplified authorisation procedure. The general prohibition on the mail-order trade would also be lifted, allowing non-prescription medicines to be dispensed by mail order, including by drugstores , though a cantonal authorisation would remain mandatory.

The revision would further govern the single dispensing of individual units where standard packs are too large, with a focus on antibiotics, in order to reduce waste and curb antibiotic resistance. The competences of chiropractors would be harmonised with the Medical Professions Act (MedPA), entitling them to prescribe medicinal products as physicians do. Finally, a supervisory levy charged to manufacturers and importers would cover the costs incurred by the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) in monitoring medical devices.

The consultation procedure runs until 16 October 2026.

For more information, see here.