The cost of generic drugs in Switzerland remains one of the highest in Europe. Can residents purchase them in other countries to save money?
“Compared to countries like France or Germany, where these products are much more accessible, the difference [in price] is striking,” said Geneva health expert Bernard Hirschel.
“Some generic drugs can actually cost up to ten times more in Switzerland,” he pointed out. “The huge difference with neighbouring countries persists and is worsening.”
Generic medicines are supposed to be cheaper than originals, so why are they so costly in Switzerland?
According to Helvicare, a portal of Helvetia insurance carrier, generics are more expensive in Switzerland due to higher labour costs, pressure from the pharmaceutical lobby, the cost of Swiss salaries, and the complexity of the drug regulator agency, Swissmedic’s, approval process, among other reasons.
So the question you may be asking is: can you have your Swiss prescription filled abroad and bring the meds back to Switzerland?
The answer is yes, and it concerns not only generics but brand medications as well.
However, there are certain rules you must follow and restrictions you need to heed.
For instance, Swiss residents “may import a month’s supply of medicines into Switzerland for their own use but not for third parties,” Swissmedic said.
This rule is for both residents and tourists.
This means, in effect, that you are only allowed to bring medications you will use yourself, and not sell or give them to others.
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This is what else you should know
According to Swissmedic, your Swiss prescription is valid in other EU countries as well, but a foreign pharmacy is not automatically required to accept it and may require a local doctor to rewrite it.
If the Swiss prescription is accepted, you will have to pay for the medicines right away; a foreign pharmacy will not send the invoice to your Swiss health insurer, as is the case with pharmacies in Switzerland.
In fact, you may have to pay for these drugs out of your own pocket because, according to the Federal Office of Public Health, “costs are reimbursed only if these medications were necessary to treat an illness during a temporary stay abroad.”
This means that while the medicines you purchase in a foreign pharmacy will be much cheaper than their equivalents in Switzerland, you will have to pay for them yourself.
READ ALSO: What to know about getting medicine and prescriptions in Switzerland
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Which generics and other drugs can you bring back to Switzerland – and which you can’t?
As the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG) puts it, you “are allowed to carry [into Switzerland] medicinal products containing narcotic or psychotropic substances without an import or export permit, provided that the quantity carried is no greater than that or 30 days.”
And then there is this:
Buying medicines in official pharmacies in the European Union is one thing, but both Swissmedic and BAZG are warning about purchasing them on the internet from questionable foreign providers.
This link explains what online purchases to avoid, and why.
