The Swiss Federal Council has launched a public consultation on a partial revision of the Therapeutic Products Act (TPA), proposing a broad package of measures aimed at strengthening Switzerland’s medicines supply, particularly during shortages. The consultation follows a series of decisions adopted by the Federal Council since 2024 to improve the resilience of the pharmaceutical supply chain.

To facilitate access to essential medicines, the draft legislation proposes to allow wholesalers and importers to temporarily place certain non-authorised medicinal products on the Swiss market during actual or imminent shortages. In addition, public pharmacies, hospital pharmacies and the Swiss Armed Forces Pharmacy would be permitted to manufacture non-authorised medicines in shortage situations, while medicinal products already authorised in countries with comparable regulatory standards could benefit from simplified marketing authorisation procedures.

The proposed reform also seeks to modernise the distribution of medicinal products by lifting the general prohibition on mail-order sales. Non-prescription medicines could be supplied by mail, subject to cantonal authorisation, with the possibility for both pharmacies and drugstores to offer such services. The draft further introduces a legal basis for dispensing individual dosage units where full packages exceed treatment requirements, particularly for antibiotics, with the aim of reducing pharmaceutical waste and supporting efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance.

Beyond supply-related measures, the revision would harmonise the prescribing powers of chiropractors with their professional qualifications and introduce a supervisory levy to finance Swissmedic’s oversight of medical devices, to be paid by manufacturers and importers placing medical devices on the Swiss market for the first time.

The consultation runs until 16 October 2026 as the Federal Council informed in its press release.