Medical medications remain more expensive in Switzerland than in other major European markets, particularly generic medications, which are nearly twice as expensive.
Patented medications are also more expensive.
The exchange rate, according to Santésuisse and Interpharma, umbrella organizations for Swiss insurers and pharmaceutical research businesses, is the reason for the rising price differential for patent-protected drugs.
The 250 most popular patented medications were 6.9% more expensive in Switzerland in spring 2021 than in comparable international nations at an exchange rate of CHF1.11 per euro. The same drugs were only 4.5 percent more expensive a year ago.
The price gap between 250 patent-expired original medications has also increased, from 10% in 2020 to 11.5 percent in 2021. Generics, on the other hand, continue to have the highest price disparity. In Switzerland, these cost 45 percent more on average, up from 42 percent the previous year.
“Unfortunately the premium payers felt the increased price differences […] very directly: in Switzerland we pay over CHF200 million ($222 million) more for patent-protected medicines than in the comparable countries,” said Verena Nold, director of Santésuisse, in a statementExternal link.
As a result, Nold is pushing for the return of the reference pricing system, which provides a standard reimbursement level or reference price for a set of interchangeable drugs. She estimates that this will save local premium payers hundreds of millions of francs every year.
“Parliament still has time this year to show its colours and stand up for the premium payers,” she said.
For the 12th time, a pricing comparison was conducted. It compared ex-factory pricing for proprietary and off-patent medications and generics in Switzerland with those in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Austria, and Sweden.
