Mail order (Versandhandel)

Mail order (Versandhandel) is the dispensing of medicines by sending them to the patient instead of handing them over in person. Under the Therapeutic Products Act, mail-order trade in medicinal products is prohibited in principle; it is possible only with a cantonal licence (Art. 27 HMG).

When a cantonal licence is possible

A canton may grant a mail-order licence only if all of the following conditions are met (Art. 27 HMG):

• there is a medical prescription;
• no safety requirements oppose it;
• appropriate advice is ensured;
• sufficient medical monitoring is ensured.

If one of these conditions is not met, no licence can be granted and the prohibition applies (Art. 27 HMG).

Swissmedic lists the dispensing or mail order of products with a THC content of at least 1.0 percent as a cantonal matter that requires a cantonal mail-order licence (Swissmedic factsheet of 1 June 2026; see one percent limit).

Private persons

For private persons, Swissmedic states a separate rule: they may not send narcotics by post, and the person named on the prescription must carry the narcotics personally (Swissmedic; Art. 41 and 42 BetmKV). Mail order by pharmacies is a different matter, governed by Art. 27 HMG and the cantonal licences.

We are a practice, not a pharmacy: we do not store, sell or send medicines. Medicines are dispensed by the pharmacy, which patients choose freely (see free choice of pharmacy).