Which falsified medicinal products represent the majority?

Erectile stimulants continue to top the list, followed by other prescriptive medicinal products as well as sleeping pills and tranquilizers such as Xanax and Valium.

Swissmedic also warns against supposedly herbal products that, however, contain undeclared chemical active ingredients. They are advertised, especially in social media, as "herbal" and "natural" products for potency enhancement or for weight loss. Delivery often comes without a patient information leaflet or cardboard packaging.

A suspicion of an illegal drug should be reported to Swissmedic via the Medicrime contact form.

Successes in the fight against falsified medicinal products

In October 2020, German customs and the Bavarian Cybercrime Central Office succeeded in smashing a global network of illegally operating dealers in the "Hydra" investigation complex. Two people were arrested in the process. The international investigation lasted almost two years. The falsified preparations were assembled in a warehouse in Singapore, shipped by mail and sent by air freight.

Sources:

Swissmedic: Illegal imports of medicinal products in 2020: medicines from the internet are still in demand

Attorney General's Office Bamberg: Zoll und ZCB zerschlagen im Ermittlungskomplex „Hydra“ weltweites Netzwerk von Händlern illegaler und nicht zugelassener Arzneimittel – Zwei Haftbefehle vollstreckt (in German)