Drug Monitoring

Medicines are there to alleviate, prevent or help detect diseases. Medicines can also harm health, for example if they are not used properly, if side effects occur, but also if they have defects. That's why continuous monitoring of medicines by authorities is important, from the time they are manufactured away to the time they are disposed of.

The Liechtenstein market is integrated into Swissmedic's Swiss monitoring network under the Customs Treaty. Adverse reactions to medicines authorized in Liechtenstein under the Customs Treaty must be reported to the relevant regional pharmacovigilance center. More information on the reporting system in Switzerland can be found here.

Adverse reactions to medicinal products manufactured in accordance with Article 4 of the Therapeutic Products Act, LR 812.102 must be reported to the Office of Public Health. These reports can be submitted using both the Austrian and the Swiss reporting form.

Medicines authorized in the EEA are recorded in the European Surveillance System. Adverse effects and quality defects of medicinal products authorized within the scope of the agreement with Austria must be reported to the Office of Public Health. These reports can be submitted using both the Austrian and Swiss reporting forms. In the EEA, all reports of adverse reactions made after a marketing authorization but also in clinical trials in the EEA are recorded in a common European database. In addition, the European Medicines Agency publishes a list of medicines that are additionally monitored.

Important information on drug safety can be found at "Swissmedic" (customs treaty) and at the site of European Medicines Agency and the Austrian Federal Office for Safety and Health Care.

Some EEA medicines are under additional surveillance. They are marked with a black triangle. The black triangle means that this EEA drug is monitored even more closely than other drugs. Patients should report any suspicion of an adverse reaction when using such a medicine: to their doctor or also to the Office of Public Health. The list of these EEA medicines can be found here.

Who reports?

Whoever uses or dispenses medicinal products commercially ( pharmacists, druggists, physicians, naturopaths) is obliged to report adverse drug reactions or quality deficiencies if they discover them in Liechtenstein.

Patients are also free to report adverse effects of drug therapy. Reporting forms can be found here. Reports by patients should be sent to the Office of Public Health. A consultation with the family doctor or a joint report have the advantage that accurate information on relevant examination results can be provided, but it is not mandatory.

Reported delivery difficulties, out-of-stock:

Austria: BASG

Switzerland: Swissmedic and BWL. For veterinary medicines Swissmedic veterinary medicines