Efforts to cut American drug prices could cost Swiss health-insurance premium payers hundreds of millions of francs a year, a new study finds. Drug prices in Switzerland are among the world’s highest. In America, they are higher still. The American government wants pharmaceutical companies to charge less for new medicines. For firms such as Roche […]
Don’t eat this: Migros recalls Alnatura salad seed mix over salmonella risk
Alnatura, a German food producer that supplies Migros, has recalled two products as a precaution after salmonella was found in a sample of pine nuts. The two products are Pine nuts, 60g: best-before dates from 31 May to 2 July 2027, and Salad seed mix, 100g: best-before dates from 3 June to 13 July 2027. […]
Summer heat linked to nearly 1,260 deaths in Switzerland
An estimated 1,257 deaths in Switzerland between May and August 2026 were attributable to heat, according to a preliminary report by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health. The summer was Switzerland’s hottest since records began, surpassing even 2003. The estimated death toll was substantially higher than […]
Vapes containing synthetic cannabinoids have reached Switzerland
Sold as “Baller-Liquids”, “Zombie-Liquids” or “Knaller-Liquids”, vaping liquids containing synthetic cannabinoids, sometimes called Spice, have attracted attention in Germany and France. Now cases have been reported in Switzerland, where the substances are covered by the Narcotics Act. The newspaper 20 Minuten has reported cases in Zurich and St Gallen. Zurich cantonal police confirm that they […]
Swiss flu vaccines delayed, but no shortage expected
Some flu-vaccine deliveries to Switzerland are delayed this autumn. RTS reports that about 40% of doses are affected. But the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) says everyone who wants to be vaccinated will be able to do so before the seasonal flu wave begins. The delays are affecting vaccination schedules. At Unisanté, Efluelda has […]
Swiss health premiums rise again, but ageing is only part of the story
Swiss health-insurance premiums are going up again. Average compulsory premiums will rise by 5% in 2027, to CHF 412 (US$ 500) a month. Anyone wondering what they will pay next year can check the federal government’s premium calculator. One common explanation for the relentless increase is Switzerland’s ageing population. Older people consume more medical care, […]
More than 700 medicines face shortages in Switzerland
More than 700 medicines are currently affected by supply bottlenecks in Switzerland, according to drugshortage.ch, a platform run by Enea Martinelli, a hospital pharmacist. Mr Martinelli is also behind a popular initiative that would require the federal government to do more to secure the supply of medicines. The proposal, backed by a broad coalition from […]
Swiss drug discounts not being passed on is “organised theft”
A report by Switzerland’s Federal Audit Office (SFAO) showing that most discounts on medicines are not passed on to insured patients, as required by law, has prompted an angry response from parliamentarians. Speaking to RTS on Thursday, Baptiste Hurni, a Socialist Party MP, described the practice as organised theft. According to the SFAO report, published […]
Swiss Liberal Greens want less polluting cigarette filters
Around 1,000 tonnes of cigarette butts are discarded on the ground in Switzerland each year. The Green Liberal Party wants the federal government to do more to tackle the problem, including encouraging tobacco companies to redesign cigarette filters, reported RTS. Most filters are made from cellulose acetate, a polymer also used in the textile industry. […]
Mental illness remains the leading cause of disability-welfare claims in Switzerland
The number of people receiving vocational-rehabilitation support through Switzerland’s disability-insurance system rose again in 2025. Mental illness remained the leading cause of disability, especially among young people. Some 61,000 people received vocational-rehabilitation support, the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) said on Monday. That was 3,300 more than in 2024 and more than three times as […]
