There are usually several middlemen involved, and the business is divided over many countries. This makes the fight against criminal organisations and unsupervised distribution channels harder.
Supervision is therefore important. Pharmaceutical companies that manufacture or distribute medicines in Switzerland need an operating licence granted by Swissmedic. This is the Swiss agency for the authorisation and supervision of therapeutic products and thus responsible for ensuring that only high quality, effective and safe therapeutics are available. The manufacturing processes, the pharmaceutical companies' laboratories, but also the quality of the medicinal products manufactured is subject to stringent rules and controls.
Pharmaceutical companies may only supply medicinal products to authorised partners. This is the only way to ensure a distribution chain without loopholes, well supervised and that consists of irreproachable medicines – from production, wholesale, right up to dispensing medicines to patients.