Last year 9,421 packages containing illegally imported medicinal products were confiscated in Switzerland, up from 6,733 in 2020. Three-quarters contained erectile stimulants, and half did not contain what it said on the label. In addition to illegal potency preparations, other preparations seized by the Swiss medical regulator Swissmedic and the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security included prescription-only medicines such as hormones and anti-inflammatories (17%) or sleeping pills and tranquillisers (5%). Swiss residents also ordered 150 illegal packages connected to the Covid-19 pandemic, Swissmedic said on Monday. These included prescription-only products containing the worming agent ivermectin, which is only authorised for animals in Switzerland, hydroxychloroquine or antibiotics from India. Swissmedic dealt with 8,607 packages under a simplified procedure that involves destroying the products. It also undertook administrative proceedings in 183 cases, the costs of...
