As in previous years, a further sharp increase in imports of illegal medicines was once again noted for 2009.
A total of 1,154 suspicious and thus potentially illegal imports of medicines were reported to Swissmedic by the Federal Customs Authorities in 2009. This represents an increase of 68% compared with the previous year. In 1.045 cases, Swissmedic initiated administrative proceedings leading to financial penalties, and most of the shipments (93%) were destroyed once the proceedings were completed. Penal proceedings were initiated in some cases. The number of the illegal imports reported does not, however, reflect the real numbers of medicines that reach Switzerland by illegal means. Based on estimations, the number of dispatches is over 50,000 per year.
| Origins The shipments of medicines seized at Swiss customs came from 64 different countries. Most of them were from the following regions: |
|
| India | 38% |
| Western Europe (including the UK, Germany, Greece, Portugal) | 28% |
| Asia (excluding India, e.g. Thailand, China, Pakistan) | 16% |
| Eastern Europe (Serbia, Slovakia, Bulgaria) | 6% |
| Tropical island states (Vanuatu, Seychelles, Fiji) | 3% |
| Central and South America (Argentina, Brazil) | 3% |
| Products The majority of seizures concerned the following product categories: |
|
| Erectile stimulants | 29% |
| Slimming products | 14% |
| Muscle building products | 13% |
| Potentially addictive medicines, e.g. sleeping pills | 8% |
| Prescription-only hair growth products | 6% |
Dangerous slimming products
Compared to the previous year, the proportion of slimming products imported has increased. On the one hand, prescription slimming products are being imported illegally and on the other, there is a trend towards purchasing natural Asian products whose ingredients are, however, falsely declared. Two slimming products that are claimed as being herbal are particularly dangerous: "LiDa Daidaihu" and "Pai You Guo Slim Capsules". Both of them, when analysed in the Swissmedic laboratory, were found to contain the prescription-only active substance sibutramine in high doses. Swissmedic therefore issues an urgent warning against ordering these products from the Internet and also against taking them, since they can lead to severe health problems.
