Thinking about using one, but not sure about the law in Switzerland and where to start. Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated!

sunstore.ch has an online pharmacy shop. works fine if you're not in a hurry. They send you the bill which you have to pay before they're sending you the order.
Then there also local Pharmacies that bring you your medication to your house if that is what you are looking for ? ...

Hmmm good question ... is there a reliable place where I can buy prescription medication without having a prescription ?

My insurance does not reimburse me anything, and I don't really see the point of paying a doctor every 6 month just for him to renew the prescription.

I get my medicines from Apotheke zur Rose
http://www.zur-rose.ch/ (available in German and English)

Been their customer since more than a year and would rate them 9/10. Prices are discounted 5% for patented medicines and 10% for generica. They bill most insurers directly.

Delivery within 2 working days. Hence, unsuitable for emergency medication but very good for sustained treatment.

Pharmacies are legally forbidden to supply without valid prescriptions.

My GP is willing to give me a refill prescription without seeing me and charging him. I phone his secretary and she arranges it.

Does anyone know if there has been any progress with online pharmacies in Switzerland since 2008. I get the feeling that they're either got laws preventing it, or some other form of restrictions..

If you mean you are thinking of buying prescription drugs from abroad via Internet, then don't do it!

Ask Swiss Medic, government agency http://www.swissmedic.ch/

No, not interested in prescription meds.. Just over the counter items! Like Chemist Direct in the UK (they deliver here but shipping doesn't make the discounts worth it)

Is there anything like they have in the uk where they can diagnose you online and then you can order from an online pharmacy? Alternatively do they do repeat prescriptions here?

I've got a chronic (permanent) condition that needs long term medication and it seems a waste of my time and money to visit a gp each time.

You get a prescription from the GP once and if they make it renewable annually then you just go to the pharmacy to get it refilled as many times as you need during that time.
You then need to get it renewed for another year by the GP once it expires.

I also need to take daily medication for life (the cost is about 3.- CHF per day), and receive prescriptions that last one year (the legal maximum). I obtain six month's worth of medication at a time from the pharmacy, so in total I only need to visit the pharmacy a few times a year.

In the German-speaking part, you ask the doctor for a Dauerrezept. Each time you need a refill you take the prescription to the pharmacy and they stamp it, write the date, and initial it. Some pharmacies might do mail orders as well, but all the pharmacies around me make me show up in person.

Some medicines are available in larger quantities with prescription, so the Dauerrezept means I can get the 3-month supply of my medicine (cheaper) instead of once per month.

If you give your Dauerrezept to Zur Rose they'll give you a 50CHF Migros voucher. Their service however is typical old-school Swiss i.e. no app and lots of paper work.

Just trying to register with these guys. Looks like you have to post them your prescription, is there a way to upload it to them online that I am missing? Or can anyone recommend an online pharmacy that is easy to use and bills the insurance directly?

According to their FAQ :

Est-il possible d’envoyer une ordonnance par fax ou par e-mail ou encore une copie par courrier postal?
Pour des raisons légales, nous ne pouvons accepter aucune ordonnance envoyée par fax ou par e-mail, ni même une copie envoyée par courrier postal. Si votre médecin nous transmet vos données d’ordonnance par voie électronique, vous recevrez vos médicaments rapidement et sûrement. Demandez à votre médecin s’il possède le logiciel nécessaire pour ce faire.

Can I send a prescription by fax or e-mail or a copy by post?
For legal reasons, we cannot accept prescriptions sent by fax or e-mail, or even a copy sent by post. If your doctor sends us your prescription data electronically, you will receive your medication quickly and safely. Ask your doctor if he or she has the necessary software to do this.


https://www.zurrose.ch/fr/patients/faq

That sounds a bit strange. We use www.mediservice.ch and originally didn't need to send the original prescription to them, but for the last couple of years they have asked for it before they can refill the order. I just bung it in the pre-paid envelope they send me every time we place an order with them, have plenty and wouldn't use them otherwise.

You could register with them and place the order, but they won't fill it until you've sent them the original. Once they have the original prescription they'll send it to you very quickly and then you can order online for as long as the prescription is valid for.

Do they send it back (if you have a repeat prescription)?

They hold on to it when it expires, my doctor sends the new prescription directly to Zur Rose.

The delivery is by registered package the next day...

No, but I scan them and keep them on my PC anyway before I send them off so if I need a copy I can make one. But they'll have the details on their system once they have the original so you just check what you want the order to be and then they'll send it to you.

I don't actually have the original, my local(ish) pharmacy kept it and gave me a photocopy. It's not a handwritten one anyway. Doesn't sound like an online pharmacy would make my life any easier though - sounds more work than going into town.