PsyAccess
Spravato®Registry-verifiedDesignated-centers model

Psychiatrische Dienste Aargau (PDAG)

Windisch, Switzerland

Treatment & access

  • Treatments offeredesketamine (Spravato)
  • Access routepublic_reimbursed
  • Price informationReimbursed by mandatory health insurance (OKP/AOS) per SL Limitatio
  • ReimbursementBAG Spezialitätenliste Limitatio: cantonal psychiatric care mandate required; list valid 2025-10-01 to 2028-09-30 How reimbursement works in Europe →
  • Phone+41 56 462 21 11
  • Websitehttps://www.pdag.ch

About this provider

Psychiatrische Dienste Aargau AG (PDAG), the canton of Aargau's public psychiatric institution headquartered at Koenigsfelderstrasse 1 in Windisch, publishes a dedicated esketamine treatment page. The nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression is offered - outpatient and inpatient - by the Interventional Psychiatry unit in building O.11 on the Windisch Koenigsfelden campus, alongside electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Patients self-administer the spray under physician supervision and remain monitored for at least two hours; costs are borne by mandatory health insurance when the conditions are met.

Services & programs

  • Esketamine nasal spray treatment for treatment-resistant depression, outpatient and inpatient, for adults 18-64 and 65+
  • Interventional Psychiatry unit (building O.11, Windisch main campus): esketamine, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
  • Self-administration of the spray under physician supervision with at least two hours of medical monitoring after each dose
  • Dosing per PDAG: twice weekly in the first four weeks, then weekly or every two weeks, combined with an oral antidepressant
  • Direct unit contact: +41 56 462 21 53, interventionelle.psychiatrie@pdag.ch (head: Dr. med. Matthias Hilpert)

Common questions

Who pays for esketamine treatment at PDAG?

PDAG states that, provided the requirements for use of the esketamine spray are fulfilled, costs are covered by mandatory health insurance (OKP). The Swiss Limitatio applies: adults 18-74, at least two adequate antidepressant trials plus one augmentation attempt without sufficient response, CGI-S of 5 or higher, prior insurer approval (Kostengutsprache) and a maximum of 10 months.

What does a treatment session at PDAG look like?

You apply the nasal spray yourself under a physician's supervision at the Interventional Psychiatry unit in Windisch. Because sedation, dissociation or elevated blood pressure can occur, you are medically monitored for at least two hours before discharge. PDAG asks patients not to eat for two hours and not to drink for 30 minutes before the dose.

How often is esketamine given?

According to PDAG, esketamine is administered twice a week during the first four weeks of treatment, then once a week or once every two weeks, always in combination with an oral antidepressant.

Looking at alternatives? One of the BAG-designated Spravato centers; see the country guide and the limited-medical-use PAT program.

Verification

This record was taken directly from an official registry or program list and is re-checked on a rolling cadence.

Spotted an error? See our methodology for how records are checked and how to report a correction.