- The Federal Office for National Economic Supply (BWL) orders the release of the compulsory stocks for oral, delayed-release opioids.
- There has been a shortage of these strong painkillers in Switzerland for about a year. The reason is supply bottlenecks for the active ingredients.
- The market situation is to be stabilized with the opening of compulsory stocks.
At present, not enough oral, sustained-release opioids are supplied to provide the Swiss market with a stable supply, as is the case in a Communication from the Federal Office for National Economic Supply (BWL) called. A situation that has been recurring for about a year.
Those who suffer are cancer patients and drug addicts
In Switzerland there are only a few providers with very different presences. The BWL writes that compulsory stocks can be used to support market activity. The reasons for the shortage include capacity problems in the manufacture of the complex products.
Products for patients with moderate to severe, long-lasting pain, including cancer patients, are affected. Individual funds would also be used in addiction support. Switching to other opioids was not able to ease the situation, as there were also supply bottlenecks with related active ingredients. Switching to other opioids is also not possible for all patients.
Interventions have so far been unsuccessful
In the past few months, the BWL has slightly reduced the scope of the storage obligation for individual active ingredients several times so that the market can be supplied, as the BWL further writes. With the next delivery, the warehouses were then replenished to the original quantity. However, the supply situation did not improve during this period.
It is currently not foreseeable when the companies involved will be able to ensure the supply of oral, delayed-release opioids in Switzerland again. Therefore, with the release of compulsory stocks, the market should now be helped more flexibly and with larger quantities. A range of three months is stipulated by law for these compulsory stocks.
The corresponding Ordinance of the Department of Economics, Education and Research (EAER) for the release of compulsory stocks comes into force on March 15, 2022.