Since January 2019, pharmacists have been able to directly dispense certain (Dispensing Category B) prescription medicinal products to patients without a prescription. Dispensing Category C has been abolished.
Changes to the dispensing categories of medicinal products
Medicinal products are placed on the market once they have been authorised by Swissmedic. Swissmedic classifies medicinal products into different dispensing categories.
Dispensing categories as of January 2019
A: Single dispensing requiring a medical or veterinary prescription
B: Dispensing requiring a medical or veterinary prescription
D: Dispensing on specialist advice
E: Dispensing in the absence of specialist advice
In the context of the revised Therapeutic Products Act, the legislator has decided to make better use of the available skills for dispensing medicinal products. To this end, Dispensing Category C (Dispensing on the advice of medical personnel) has been abolished, and Category D has been broadened.
As a result, the conditions for dispensing medicinal products of Dispensing Category B have been made more flexible, and the boundaries between the categories of prescription and non-prescription medicinal products are now less strictly defined – without, however, adversely affecting treatment safety. Pharmacists are now able to dispense certain medicinal products of Dispensing Category B to patients who do not have a corresponding prescription.
Simplified provision of prescription medicinal products
Medicinal products of Dispensing Category B
The government’s aim was to simplify the dispensing by pharmacists of certain prescription medicinal products. Up until 1 January 2019, medicinal products authorised under Dispensing Category B could generally only be dispensed by a medical professional on presentation of a medical prescription. Since January 2019, however, pharmacists have been permitted to dispense medicinal products of Dispensing Category B without a prescription in the following cases:
1. Medicinal products classified as Category C prior to January 2019
As Dispensing Category C has been abolished following the entry into effect of the revised Therapeutic Products Act, certain medicinal products previously in this category have been reclassified to Dispensing Category B. Those medicinal products that have been transferred from Dispensing Category C to Category B and are thus now subject to prescription may nevertheless be dispensed by pharmacists without a corresponding medical prescription. The medicinal products in question are listed on the website of Swissmedic, which is responsible for such reclassification:
List of medicinal products reclassified from Category C to Category B
2. Treatment of common illnesses
This group includes a number of Category B medicinal products that are used to treat common illnesses and contain established active substances that have been authorised for several years. The Federal Council, acting on the advice of a group of experts, defines which medicinal products may be dispensed by pharmacists without a prescription, under what conditions and for which indications (see next paragraph). The FOPH website refers to this list of indications and the corresponding medicinal products, which is known as ‘List B+’.
3. Continuing a long-term treatment
Medicinal products that enable a patient to continue a long-term treatment may also be dispensed by pharmacists without a prescription for up to one year after the date of the initial prescription. This applies above all to the treatment of chronic illnesses.
As previously, pharmacists may continue to dispense prescription medicinal products without a medical prescription in warranted exceptional cases.
In all of the instances listed above, the medicinal products concerned may only be dispensed by the pharmacists themselves, and such dispensing shall always be documented. In this regard, the Association of Cantonal Pharmacists (ACP) has drafted guidelines which are aimed at ensuring uniform implementation in the cantons (see under Documents).
Medicinal products for the treatment of common illnesses
An expert group has been mandated to advise the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) on establishing a list of indications and the corresponding List B+ medicinal products which can be dispensed by pharmacists without a prescription for the treatment of common illnesses.
Evaluation procedure
The quality of patient care and their safety when using the medicinal products concerned are the primary criteria considered in such evaluation.
The expert group proceeds as follows to establish the list of indications and the corresponding medicinal products:
- Formulation of a list of Category B indications and medicinal products which may be dispensed without a prescription.
- Choice of an indication for further detailed treatment by an expert group committee:
o Consultation with the corresponding specialist medical societies and other external experts if needed
o Final counsel on the list of medicinal products by the expert group by drawing on the recommendations of external specialists, on scientific criteria and on experience in the field.
- The list of indications and corresponding medicinal products is submitted for approval to the FDHA.
- Periodic expansion and review of this list.
Current list of indications and corresponding medicinal products (June 2023)
The current list of indications and medicinal products (List B+) which may be dispensed by pharmacists without a prescription includes the following indications:
- Seasonal allergic rhinitis
- Eye disorders
- Acute diseases of the respiratory system
- Diseases of the digestive tract
- Dermatitis
- Urogenital tract diseases
- Acute pain
- Migraine
- Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
- Caries prophylaxis
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Low blood pressure
- Travel sickness and dizziness
- Emergency contraception
- Giving up smoking.
To provide pharmacists with a broad overview of the medicinal products at their disposal, the list also includes medicinal products (with their indications) that have been reclassified from Dispensing Category C to Dispensing Category B for which the reclassification decision has already come into force. Swissmedic will continue to publish periodically on its website the list of medicinal products for which the reclassification decision has come into force.
The current list of indications and corresponding medicinal products may be found under the following link:
Last modification 31.05.2023
Contact
Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
Division of Biomedicine
Therapeutic Products Law Section
Schwarzenburgstrasse 157
3003
Bern
Switzerland
Tel.
+41 58 463 51 54