Key facts
In Switzerland, a new medicinal product undergoes two processes: firstly, licensing for the Swiss market by Swissmedic; secondly, the remuneration process at the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) for acceptance onto the list of pharmaceutical specialties. This is the list of medicines that are paid for by the compulsory health insurance (CHI). In 2021, CHI expenditure on medicines amounted to around CHF 8 billion. The Confederation covers approximately CHF 600 million of these costs via individual premium reductions.