The Federal Council wants to secure long-term funding for the Poison Information Center
The national information center for poisoning, Tox Info Suisse, provides important services for private individuals and professionals in the event of poisoning. However, the funding of the information center is not sufficiently regulated. The Federal Council has spoken out in favor of consolidating the funding from private and public sources that has proven its worth over decades. The task of Tox Info is not being called into question. The aim is to involve the private sector in the financing and operation of the information center. This can be achieved through an agreement with the sectors concerned or by amending the law.
In the 60 years or so since it was founded, Tox Info Suisse has been financed by private sponsors, the public sector and income from other sources, such as service contracts with hospitals or donations. However, the sponsors have increasingly withdrawn in recent years, while the federal government and cantons have increased their contributions. Nevertheless, the annual operating costs of around CHF 4.35 million could no longer be covered. With an existing deficit of around CHF 800,000 in the 2024 annual accounts, Tox Info Suisse expects costs to continue to rise in the coming years and has therefore asked the federal government to increase its contributions. However, a short-term increase in public contributions or even full coverage of the deficit is not possible in view of the Confederation's tight financial situation.
Tox Info Suisse advises around 40,000 callers from all over Switzerland every year. Chemicals (33 %) and medicines (37 %) are among the most frequent causes of calls to the information center. Other causes of poisoning include food and cosmetics, fungi, plants and poisonous animals. The Federal Council therefore believes that chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers have a duty to continue to contribute to the funding of the helpline. At its meeting, it spoke out in favor of retaining and regulating the tried-and-tested system of private and public funding that has been in place for decades.
The Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) is aiming to reach an agreement with the affected sectors by the end of 2025 that will ensure cost sharing. At the same time, Tox Info is to undergo an external performance audit by April 2026. In the event that no agreement is reached, a consultation draft will be drawn up to safeguard the information center. The Federal Council instructs the FDHA to submit this proposal to it by April 2026.
The consultation draft includes an amendment to the Chemicals Act, which currently provides for the designation and financial compensation of an information center by the federal government. It is to be amended so that the manufacturers of chemicals are obliged to operate and finance an information center. This is a prerequisite for being able to place their products on the market. An analogous obligation should also be imposed on marketing authorization holders of medicinal products and enshrined in the Therapeutic Products Act. The new operating and financing obligation would affect around 5000 companies in the chemicals sector and around 1000 companies in the therapeutic products sector, resulting in annual costs per company in the low three-digit range (manufacturers of chemicals) or four-digit range (marketing authorization holders of medicinal products). The Confederation and the cantons will continue to support the information center as before.
