Commercialisation and the CCO model in Switzerland
One partner holds the authorisation, imports, releases, distributes, invoices and answers the phone in three languages. You get a Swiss market without a Swiss affiliate, and you keep the pricing decisions.
What is a contract commercialisation organisation?
A contract commercialisation organisation, CCO, takes over the commercial operation of a product in a market on behalf of the owner: the legal holder position, supply, distribution, order to cash, customer service and market access. Unlike a licensee it does not buy the rights, and unlike a distributor it also carries the regulatory and safety functions.
For Switzerland the model is a good fit because the market is valuable but small: nine million people, four language regions, concentrated distribution and a reimbursement system that rewards preparation. Building an affiliate for one or two products rarely pays back; renting a complete operation does.
CCO, distributor, licensee
A distributor buys and resells, and the regulatory duties stay with you. A licensee takes the rights and the upside. A CCO operates the market for you against fees: you keep the product rights and the price decisions, and the CCO holds the authorisation and runs the operation.
What the CCO mandate contains
Everything needed to have a product sold, supplied and supported in Switzerland. The mandate is modular but the point is that no gap is left between the modules, because gaps between a holder, an importer and a distributor are where Swiss launches stall.
- Marketing Authorisation Holder position and all regulatory maintenance.
- Pharmacovigilance with a Swiss RPPV, and medical information in German, French, Italian and English.
- Quality system, Swiss batch release and recall capability.
- Import, GDP storage and wholesale under their establishment licence.
- Distribution into the full-line wholesalers plus direct hospital supply.
- Order to cash: order intake, delivery, invoicing, dunning, returns.
- Pricing and reimbursement: SL application, price defence, three-year reviews.
- Market access and stakeholder contact with hospital pharmacies, specialists and patient organisations where appropriate.
- Reporting: monthly sales and stock, quarterly regulatory and safety report.
| Own affiliate | Distributor | CCO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to market | Long | Medium | Short |
| Fixed cost | High and permanent | Low | Moderate, per product |
| Who holds the authorisation | You | Usually you | The CCO |
| Who runs pharmacovigilance | You | You | The CCO |
| Who sets the price | You | Negotiated | You |
| Exit effort | High | Medium | Contractual transfer |
How the commercial model works
External providers charge fees, not a share of your upside, unless you explicitly want a variable component. Two structures are common: you invoice the Swiss trade through the providers as your agent, or external providers buy and resell at an agreed transfer price. The choice affects VAT, customs and revenue recognition, so external providers settle it in the contract before the first order.
- Joint business case: forecast, price corridor, reimbursement assumption, channel mix.
- Commercial model decision: agency or buy and resell, with the transfer price mechanism.
- Set-up: holder, licence coverage, article data, wholesaler listing, logistics.
- Launch: reimbursement application, first deliveries, hospital and specialist contacts.
- Operation: monthly reporting, quarterly review, annual price and life cycle planning.
What stays with you
The dossier, the trademark, the price decision, the global strategy and the option to take the market back. Their contracts include an exit clause with an obligation to transfer the authorisation and hand over the safety and quality documentation, because a partner who makes leaving hard is not a partner you should pick in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
Do you promote products with a sales force?
External providers are not a contract sales organisation with representatives on the road. Their commercial strength is the regulated operation plus targeted access work with hospital pharmacies and specialists. For broad primary care promotion external providers work with specialised partners and stay the regulated backbone.
Can you handle hospital tenders?
Yes. Hospital purchasing in Switzerland runs through pharmacies and purchasing groups with their own calendars and conditions. External providers prepare and submit the offers and manage the resulting contracts and delivery obligations.
How do you keep our product from competing with your other clients?
External providers check portfolio conflicts before external providers sign, and external providers do not take two mandates that compete directly in the same indication without written agreement from both sides. Confidentiality obligations are mutual and enforced internally by separated file access.
What reporting do we get?
Monthly sales, stock and delivery data, and a quarterly report covering regulatory activities, safety cases and quality events. Ad hoc questions get answered the same working day by a named contact rather than a ticket system.
Enquire about Swiss MAH support
Describe your product, dossier status and support needs. Enquiries reach the website operator at info@mahswitzerland.com. Provider qualifications, availability and contracts must be checked separately.
- Independent information portal
- Public Swiss sources, independent explanations, and enquiries about external specialist services.