Addiction doctor alerted
Methadone is running out in Switzerland
The Swiss Society for Addiction Medicine (SSAM) has warned of a possible shortage of methadone tablets in the coming weeks. She therefore called for a simplified import of the tablets from abroad.
According to the World Health Organization, methadone tablets are essential for people addicted to opiates. (archive image)
9,000 people in Switzerland are affected by the bottleneck, as addiction doctor Thilo Beck said in an interview with Swiss radio SRF on Thursday. Methadone is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an essential drug for the treatment of people with an addiction to opiates such as heroin. “The existence of these people is in question,” said Beck.
Imports from abroad are currently very expensive, said Enea Martinelli, board member of the Pharmacists’ Association, to SRF. Each permit costs around CHF 200 and applications can only be made individually.
According to SRF, the background is that the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, Swissmedic, has suspended the operating license and all drug approvals from an important manufacturer for safety reasons.
According to Martinelli, in addition to the methadone tablets, the company also produced a drug that is used for anesthesia during operations. The federal government has found a solution in this regard in Germany.
The only alternative with methadone is to take the drug in liquid form or in the form of capsules from certain pharmacies.
(SDA)