Swiss government plans to make pharma and chemical firms fund poison helpline

The Federal Council wants the industries behind medicines and chemicals to help pay for Switzerland’s poison information centre. After its meeting on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the government said it would pursue changes to the Chemicals Act and Medicines Act to require contributions to Tox Info Suisse.

The proposal will go to consultation until mid-February. That process will put the planned funding rules before interested parties while the government seeks a long-term contribution from both sectors. The Federal Council says voluntary support has not delivered the substantial, lasting backing the centre needs.

The plan places Tox Info Suisse’s financing at the centre of a legislative debate involving two industries and a national public service. The estimated average annual contribution would differ sharply by sector: CHF 5,300 for pharmaceutical firms and CHF 240 for chemical manufacturers. Those figures form the government’s proposed basis for bringing industry funding into law.

The estimated annual bill for pharmaceutical firms is more than 20 times the average proposed contribution for chemical manufacturers. The Federal Council puts the figures at CHF 5,300 per year for pharma firms and CHF 240 per year for chemical manufacturers.

The estimates apply to the two sectors the government wants to bring into the funding system through amendments to the Chemicals Act and Medicines Act. They are average annual amounts, not a single combined industry payment. The figures show how differently the proposal would affect the two groups, while assigning each a recurring share of the centre’s costs.

The contribution estimates are part of a plan to secure support on a lasting basis. The government says the industries have not been prepared to provide substantial, long-term voluntary backing. The proposed rules would replace reliance on voluntary support with a legal obligation, subject to the legislative process. The proposal is due to go out for consultation until mid-February.

Tox Info Suisse was founded about 60 years ago, partly with help from private sponsors. The centre’s history reflects a mix of support beyond government funding, but the Federal Council now argues that voluntary industry contributions cannot provide substantial, long-term backing.

Following its meeting on Wednesday, the government said the pharmaceutical and chemical industries were not prepared to support the centre voluntarily on that basis. It plans to change the law so both sectors would have to contribute. The proposal marks a shift from seeking voluntary assistance to setting a compulsory funding obligation through legislation.

The centre provides Switzerland’s national poison information service. The government’s plan ties responsibility for helping fund that service to industries connected with pharmaceuticals and chemicals. It has put forward average annual contributions of CHF 5,300 for pharma firms and CHF 240 for chemical manufacturers. Those proposed amounts will be part of the consultation on amendments to the two acts.

Calls to Switzerland’s poison helpline have been rising, with nearly half of last year’s calls involving children and teenagers. The national emergency number is 145, linking suspected poisoning cases to Tox Info Suisse, the centre at the heart of the Federal Council’s funding plan.

The call trend adds public-safety context to the proposed changes. Tox Info Suisse handles enquiries from people reporting suspected poisonings, and the government wants pharmaceutical and chemical firms to contribute to its financing. The proposed average annual payments are CHF 5,300 for pharmaceutical firms and CHF 240 for chemical manufacturers.

The next step is consultation on amendments to the Chemicals Act and Medicines Act, which is scheduled to remain open until mid-February. The government’s proposal would make industry support compulsory, following its conclusion that voluntary backing would not provide substantial, long-term financing. The consultation will advance that plan through the next stage of consideration.