Illegally imported Medicinal Products into Switzerland in 2024: Fewer Shipments, but increasing Risks

As recently reported in our January newsletter, the flourishing illegal online trade in medicinal products poses a serious threat.

Swissmedic, the Swiss authorisation and supervisory authority for drugs and medical products, has once again provided information on illegal imports of medicinal products into Switzerland, presenting concrete figures for the year 2024.

According to a press release dated 14 February 2025, Swissmedic, in collaboration with the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) confiscated 5,668 illegal imports of medicinal products in 2024 - a decrease of 15 % compared to the previous year. Erectile stimulants continued to account for the largest share at 57%, followed by psychotropic agents, sleeping tablets and tranquillisers (10%), nasal sprays and laxatives (6%), hormones such as melatonin (4%), hair-loss products and weight-loss drugs (4% each) as well as medicines to combat pathogens (antibiotics, antiparasitics, antivirals, 3%) Most of these products originate from Western Europe, India and Eastern Europe, with traders increasingly using detours to circumvent controls.

Swissmedic strongly warns against purchasing medicines from dubious online sources. Illegal pharmaceuticals pose significant health risks. Laboratory analyses have shown that over 30% of the products examined contained between two and four times the dosages of the active substances sildenafil, tadalafil or vardenafil that are authorised in Switzerland for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Additionally, it was found that these active ingredients, which are authorised as monopreparations in Switzerland, are increasingly being combined, a practice that the authority considers particularly concerning from a medical standpoint.

Moreover, supposedly “natural” or “plant-based” products are particularly dangerous, as they often contain synthetic active ingredients in harmful dosages. Consumers are often unaware of these risks because the packaging descriptions do not reveal the true contents.