Which drugs with direct action are authorized in Switzerland?
(as of January 2021)
Epclusa®, Zepatier®, Vosevi®, Maviret®
I have hepatitis C of genotype 4, which is the best drug to treat it ?
Momentarily (as of December 2017) those 4 therapies are authorized in Switzerland against
genotype 4 :
1. Zepatier® Treatment duration 12 weeks, for relapses GT4/16 weeks with ribavirin
This drug treats only patients with GT 1 and GT 4
2. Vosevi active against all 6 genotypes. Treatment duration 8-12 weeks.
3. Epclusa® active against all 6 genotypes. Treatment duration 12 weeks.
4. Maviret® active against all 6 genotypes. Treatment duration 8-12 weeks.
Are the licensed products coming from India sure and effective
as much that the original preparations?
Yes. All the examinations and studies show that the Indian licensed products are as much effective and as much safe than original preparations.
Supposed, of course, there are not falsifications.
Are there any falsifications of the Indian products?
Unfortunately yes. The Swiss institute of the therapeutic products Swissmedic warned in March 2016 concerning the falsifications of Harvoni® appeared in Israel which were imported by a commercial swiss firm and coming from India.
How to avoid receiving falsifications from India?
An absolute guarantee cannot be given. Following measurements limit the risk at least:
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To order drugs of India from a sure source, for example: https://fixrx.com/product-category/hepatitis-c/
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Not to order drugs when offers on Internet seem incredible to be true and very conspicuous.
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To look at packing well: Do they make confidence and are expensively manufactured (closings, seals)?
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Has the Indian manufacturer an official licence with the manufacturer of origin (e.g. Gilead – > Licence with Mylan)?
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Are the tablets coloured? Falsifications were always white (as of July 2016).
Is the importation of the Indian products laid off in Switzerland
legal?
Yes and no
No: The provisions of licence of the American manufacturers prohibit the Indian firms to export in industrialized countries.
Yes: Switzerland allows the import of one month’s rations for personal use. Medicines for therapies must be distributed over several shipments. Therapy may only be started once all packages have been delivered.
My health insurance refuses to pay the drugs against hepatitis C. What can I do?
In theory, the health insurance of the basic insurance must pay the drugs against hepatitis C, when those are in the List of Specialities (LS), are authorized for your genotype by Swissmedic and that you filled conditions of the limitation established by the FOPH for an assumption of responsibility of the expenses. In spite of that, certain insurers are opposed to pay the treatment with arguments which are ridiculous (as of February 2017). Thus extra-hepatic demonstrations are considered non-existent or not relevant, or the insurers question, that the required degree of the hepatic disease is reached for an assumption of responsibility of the expenses.
Other insurers refuse to pay the drug chosen by the specialist for your treatment, but proposes some another which, according to your doctor is not ideal for you. Or then they do not want to provide for the costs of all the duration of the therapy but only for one part.
Discuss the situation with your doctor. Ask that he/she makes a new service request, in which he/she clearly justifies, the reason for which you require the drug, confirms that the conditions established by the FOPH are filled for an assumption of responsibility of the complete treatment by the insurer. The Law requires this. If all that does not succeed, request a lawful legal provision from your insurer and considered if you want to take the case against your insurer, with the assistance of a lawyer, in front of the cantonal Court of the social affairs. Before going that far contact us. Perhaps we know of a solution or have knowledge of law cases of other courts which will help to convince your insurer.
In addition to my basic insurance, I have a complementary insurance. Does this one deal with the expenses for the drugs for hepatitis C, if the basic insurance refuses?
Unfortunately not. The complementary insurance does not have the right to pay drugs which are on the List of the Specialities. The drugs of this list must be dealt with by the basic insurance in theory, even if they are very expensive.
The complementary insurance must deal with only the drugs prescribed by your doctor which are not on the List of the Specialities. The conditions are moreover, that these treatments are recognized scientifically effective and that their use is economic. Scientifically recognized means for the health insurers normally that Swissmedic authorized for a precise therapeutic goal.
There are drugs against hepatitis C which, abroad are authorized for all or a certain genotype, but not in Switzerland. Do the health insurers have to pay them all the same?
That depends completely on your doctor and the goodwill of the insurer. If the doctor manages to convince the insurer that the use of a certain drug absolutely makes sense in your case in spite of the official recording of Swissmedic (called “Off-label uses”), then the insurer has the possibility of paying for the treatment.
To date (as of July 2016) and to our knowledge, the insurer always refused an assumption of responsibility. This even if the treatment with another drug, authorized in Europe or in the USA, that the one authorized by Swissmedic for a certain genotype, would be definitely less expensive.
I was treated effectively against hepatitis C. I am now immunized against this disease?
Unfortunately not. You can reinfect yourself with hepatitis C. An anti HCV vaccine is still at the stage of the development (as of February 2016). It is important to minimize the risk of an reinfection within the known precautionary measures.