The scarcity will be most acute in the winter, just as more people become ill with flu and respiratory viruses, and need antibiotics and other meds.
This alarm is raised by Martine Ruggli, president of the Pharmasuisse pharmacists' association.
She warned that between 700 and 1,000 essential medicines will not be available in Switzerland in coming months.
Which drugs will be hard to get?
Following this announcement, Enea Martinelli, Pharmasuisse's vice-president, shed light on which medications will be in short supply.
Foremost among them are antibiotics used against bacterial diseases, as well as amoxicillin and co-amoxicillin, prescribed for throat, nose and ear infections.
Alternatives, such as clarithromycin and azithromycin, are also beginning to be affected by these shortages.
In addition to antibiotics, there is also a shortage of asthma sprays and prescription painkillers.
Foreign suppliers are to blame
Among the main reasons for this impending shortage are significant supply bottlenecks, Ruggli said.
Specifically, the relocation of manufacturing processes to other countries -— particularly to China and India — has delayed and slowed down the supply chain.
“The bottlenecks for medicines that are in high demand will be massive this winter ,"Ruggli pointed out, adding that they could be out of stock in Switzerland for up to two years.
The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), which is responsible for medicine procurement, confirmed this fact.
"With the relocation of important production processes to Asia and the concentration on just a few companies, supply chains have become vulnerable," FOPH said.
What can be done to ensure that patients in Switzerland have access to essential medicines?
Ruggli said pharmacies are able to manufacture a limited number of medications themselves with the substances they have on hand.
However, “this can’t replace industrial production.”
On a larger scale, not much can be undertaken for immediate relief; the solutions focus on long-term planning.
The federal government is looking into concluding ‘capacity contracts’ with manufacturers in order to ensure the production of a certain quantity of drugs.
In the meantime, and in the event of a serious shortage, the army could also be commissioned to produce certain vital medicines.
Comments