Press release: Pharmaceutical Industry Day 2026: Switzerland – a pharmaceutical hub at a crossroads
The Swiss pharmaceutical industry is under pressure: New US trade policies, the global trend towards regional production and regulatory decisions are having a direct impact on a pharmaceutical hub that accounts for almost seven percent of global pharmaceutical value creation despite having a market share of just 0.6 percent. On Pharmaceutical Industry Day, the message was unmistakable: These are structural challenges that can only be overcome with a clear commitment to strategic priorities.
The framework conditions for the pharmaceutical industry have fundamentally changed. New trade policies and the global “local-for-local” trend are exerting increasing pressure on smaller, open economies like Switzerland. In particular, the Most Favored Nation (MFN) regime introduced by the US administration, which includes Switzerland as a reference country for drug pricing in the US, creates a completely new set of parameters for the launch of innovative drugs and poses serious challenges for patient care in Switzerland.
Despite these developments, Switzerland’s position remains strong. Almost seven percent of global pharmaceutical value creation flows into Switzerland, and the number of patents per capita is the highest in the world. Nevertheless, employment growth in the Swiss pharmaceutical industry has stagnated in recent years, and investment in research and development has actually declined. This shows that the challenges are structural in nature, and thus require structural responses in turn.
Three priorities for Switzerland as a pharmaceutical location
The industry sees a need for concrete action on three levels:
- Ensuring rapid and equal access to innovative medicines for all patients
- Strengthening and developing Switzerland as a leading innovation and production hub for the life sciences on a long-term basis
- Establishing competitive framework conditions that take account of geopolitical changes and retain companies and talented employees in Switzerland over the long term
Location policy, health policy and geopolitical developments can no longer be viewed in isolation. Around half of overall economic growth in recent years has come from the pharmaceutical industry – its strength is closely linked to that of Switzerland itself.
Annual General Meeting: New Board members elected
At the Annual General Meeting on the same day, the 2025 Annual Report was approved and the following new members were elected to the Board of Directors:
- Julian Bertschinger, Head, EMEA, External Scientific Innovation, Johnson & Johnson
- Patrick Schuler, Managing Director, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine
- Michele Ravara, Managing Director for Switzerland, AbbVie
- Jérome Garcin, General Manager for Switzerland and Austria, Bristol Myers Squibb
- Lauren McNamer, General Manager of Lilly Switzerland, Eli Lilly
- Rea Lal, Country Lead of Pfizer Switzerland, Pfizer
Interpharma is delighted with the commitment and expertise of its new members, whose work will benefit Switzerland as a pharmaceutical hub and its patients.