A well-known brand of hormone replacement therapy, Estradot, will no longer be covered by insurance in Switzerland. The reason: the health authorities and the drugmaker couldn’t agree on a price. In September, Simone Kobler, a gynecologist specialised in women’s hormonal health in northern Switzerland, received some frustrating news. Estradot, the oestrogen replacement therapy in the form of a transdermal patch, which is used by millions of women around the world to manage menopausal symptoms, would no longer be covered by Switzerland’s compulsory health insurance. For those patients with supplementary insurance, the medicine may still be partially reimbursed. For all others, they would need to pay out of pocket. One pharmacy in Bern quoted a price of CHF40 ($49.40) for a 24-pack (75mg) of Estradot, which lasts 12 weeks. Among patients, which include women of different ages as well as transgender individuals, many take hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) for more than two years. “It …