Swissmedic is a bit quick to boast about its international ranking

Swissmedic is moving quickly to boast an international ranking that ranks it as one of the fastest institutes in the world. A study by an independent organization based in London compared drug marketing authorities to see which are the quickest to authorize the marketing of new treatments. "In terms of scientific review time, Swissmedic thus ranks second behind Japan," Swissmedic rejoices.

But it's easier to be second in the world when the ranking only compares six authorities. The study looked at those of Switzerland, the European Union, the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia. The ranking analyzes various criteria. Thus, in terms of total application processing time, Swissmedic is tied with the European Medicines Agency. It's also worth mentioning that, "in terms of the number of applications, the Swiss authority ranks third behind the American (FDA) and Japanese health authorities," Swissmedic acknowledges.

Swissmedic's press release will certainly make pharmaceutical representatives in Switzerland laugh bitterly, as they constantly complain that it takes too long to bring their new products to market. Exactly a year ago, another study, conducted in Switzerland this time and in which Swissmedic participated, noted that Switzerland was slower than the European Union, and even slower compared to the American FDA. The delays were even increasing.

"While politicians are focusing entirely on costs, security of supply is suffering, and pharmaceutical laboratories with research and production sites in our country are no longer able to plan their operations," criticized the director of the umbrella organization Interpharma.