Switzerland,

June 2021

Switzerland continues to hold its own as a focal point for innovation and discovery in global medical science and ranks very highly on the radar of both Big Pharma and the international biotech community alike.

As well as Switzerland’s continuing relevance to the European and global pharma industry, pharma is truly at the core of the Swiss economy, generating a full 5.4 percent of the country’s GDP, a number which rises to 9.2 percent when indirect effects are factored in. Moreover, the industry now accounts for a massive 45 percent of Switzerland’s total exports.

This exclusive and wide-ranging new report examines the fundamentals underpinning Switzerland’s continuing value proposition for innovators across the pharma, biotech, and medtech spectrum; the new discoveries emerging from the country and the role that Swiss innovation has had in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic; as well as the access challenges that participants in the Swiss market are facing today.

Also covered are Switzerland’s long road towards digitalisation and better utilisation of data; the country’s increasing focus on translational science; how Swissmedic, Switzerland’s regulatory body, is transforming; and …

Articles

Swissmedic: Taking its Own Path

Regarded as one of the world’s leading regulatory bodies, Swissmedic stands alongside its equivalents in Europe, Japan, Canada, and Australia in terms of the evaluation and approval of new drugs, notably COVID-19 vaccines. Although its approval times are increasing, raising doubts about Swissmedic’s continued place at the top table of global regulators, initiatives to address…

Switzerland’s Upcoming Cost Containment Packages: Industry Key Concerns

While once considered the land of milk and honey within Europe in terms of market access and reimbursement for innovative pharmaceuticals, Switzerland is increasingly tightening its belt on this front in line with its European neighbours. Indeed, this year two cost containment packages are under discussion in the Swiss parliament which stand to reshape the…

What Switzerland Means to Novartis & Roche

The Novartis and Roche names are synonymous with Swiss pharmaceutical innovation. But for these two Basel-based global behemoths, what value does Switzerland itself hold and what do they see as the areas in which they can truly bring value in their home market? Roche – Driving Digital & Personalised Care Roche’s Thomas F. Schmidt…

A New Era for Mental Health in Switzerland?

Mental health is a global crisis. 25 percent of the world’s population struggle with mental illness; and mental, neurological, and substance use disorders account for 11 percent of the total global disease burden according to data from the Healthy Brains Global Initiative (HBGI). Global mental healthcare costs are expected to balloon from USD 823 billion…

Tillotts CEO Talks SME M&A Principles

Thomas A. Tóth von Kiskér, longstanding CEO of Tillotts Pharma AG, a specialty pharma player focused on the digestive system, has overseen a number of acquisitions and the growth of the company from 30 to 300 employees. Here, he shares his insights on why M&A may be a better strategy for smaller players than internal…

Ticino Looking to Innovative Future With Big New Investment

The small Italian-speaking Canton of Ticino, nestled away in Southern Switzerland, is fast developing its reputation as a life sciences hub which – if not able to compete directly with Basel and Zurich – has plenty to offer in a number of important niches. Ticino boasts a core of well-established companies across the pharma value…

Switzerland’s Quest for Alternatives to Animal Testing of Pharmaceuticals

Animal testing for medicinal purposes is back under the spotlight in Switzerland after a petition against the practice filed in Bern managed to generate tens of thousands of signatures. Even more ominously, a popular initiative emanating from the Canton of St Gallen is still pending that proposes an outright ban on all such experiments and…