Illegal imports of medicinal products: Erectile stimulants account for more than two-thirds
Bern, 8.2.2024 - In 2023, the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) seized a total of 6,659 illegal medicinal product imports on behalf of Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products. The most frequent illegal imports of medicinal products continue to be erectile stimulants, followed by sleeping tablets and tranquillisers, hormones (including melatonin), nasal sprays and laxatives. Nearly 3,000 (43%) of the consignments seized came from India. These illegal products are shipped from and manufactured in an ever-changing lineup of countries: regulatory authorities and illegal suppliers have been playing cat and mouse for years.