The Federal Council, Bundesrat (Federal Council, BR), adopted a package of measures on 20 March 2026 to strengthen the supply of medicines in Switzerland. The package is intended to improve monitoring of the current supply situation and to facilitate the import, production and market access of basic-care medicines that are indispensable in everyday practice, including medicines for chronically ill patients. It forms part of the direct counter-proposal to the popular initiative Ja zur medizinischen Versorgungssicherheit (Yes to secure medical supply).
The Federal Department of Home Affairs, Eidgenössisches Departement des Innern (Federal Department of Home Affairs, EDI), says the measures will be implemented in stages over the short, medium and long term together with actors in the health system. The Federal Council has also approved the corresponding message and transmitted it to Parliament.
The Federal Office of Public Health, Bundesamt für Gesundheit (Federal Office of Public Health, FOPH), presents the March package as part of a wider programme to improve security of supply for medicines. The federal authorities are pursuing legislative, structural and policy measures, and the March 2026 package followed proposals from an expert group appointed by EDI and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, Eidgenössisches Departement für Wirtschaft, Bildung und Forschung (Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, EAER).
The package is framed as a response to recurring supply problems affecting everyday medicines. The measures are intended to support the continued availability of medicines used in basic care and to strengthen the resilience of the medicines supply chain.
Source: Federal Department of Home Affairs
Link: Der Bundesrat will die Versorgung mit Medikamenten verbessern (The Federal Council wants to improve the supply of medicines)
Date: 20 March 2026
