Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis pays millions to victims of drug testing

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis is contributing 4 million Swiss francs ($4.6 million) in solidarity payments to victims of drug testing at the Münsterlingen psychiatric hospital in the Swiss canton of Thurgau.

Thurgau was able to reach an agreement with Novartis to share the costs of solidarity contributions, the canton wrote in a statement published on the canton's website on Friday.

According to the canton, the pharmaceutical industry is thus contributing around a third of the projected costs for the victims of the drug tests.
Novartis AG is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland. With sales of $50.5 billion in 2022, the group is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.

The background to the solidarity contributions is the administration of unauthorized drugs to unknowing patients at the Münsterlingen clinic in the canton of Thurgau between 1940 and 1980.

According to the canton's announcement, people who were administered test drugs on record in psychiatric clinics in the canton of Thurgau between 1940 and 1980 are eligible to apply for financial compensation of 25,000 Swiss francs ($28,958) each.

The canton assumes that around 500 applications will be submitted, which would result in costs of 12.5 million Swiss francs ($14.4 million).
The cantonal government of Thurgau forwarded a draft law to the canton's Grand Council on Friday to enable solidarity payments. The Grand Council is the parliament of the Canton of Thurgau.

The law will come into force on Jan. 1, 2025. According to the canton's press release, the prompt entry into force should enable as many people as possible to receive official recognition of their suffering and the payment of a solidarity contribution.

Applications can be submitted until Dec. 31, 2028, which is why the law will be valid until the end of 2031.