Swissmedic Cracks Down on Counterfeit Medicines in International Supply Chains

Swissmedic has intensified inspections of international medicine trade, especially with non-EU countries like Turkey, following a rise in counterfeit and unapproved medicines. A press release on March 27, 2025, details the findings from a recent campaign targeting companies with “Import for export” licenses.

Key Findings:

• 73 companies identified; 16 inspected
• 5 had insufficient documentation
• 4 had minor deficiencies
• 7 had no issues
• Some companies failed to trace products back to the marketing authorisation holder, violating traceability rules in place since May 2021.
• In two cases, pharmacy and wholesale operations were improperly mixed.

Swissmedic cites a general lack of awareness of legal obligations and plans to tighten monitoring of Good Distribution Practice (GDP) compliance to protect patients and ensure supply chain integrity.

20-04-2025