![\"Editorial\"](\"https:\/\/www.interpharma.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/vorwort-800x533_3-1.png\")
\n <\/div>\n \n Interpharma President J\u00f6rg-Michael Rupp (left) and Managing Director Dr Ren\u00e9 P. Buholzer in the editorial of the annual report on the importance of research, innovation and a reliable regulatory framework for Switzerland as a pharmaceutical hub.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n
Editorial<\/h2>\n \n \n Its economic importance is impressive: every Swiss franc of revenue generated by the pharmaceutical industry creates around CHF 3.20 in added value for Switzerland \u2013 through taxes and investment. In total, the sector contributes up to CHF 10 billion to public revenues every year and secures around 50,000 jobs directly and around 250,000 indirectly. At the same time, the medical benefits are clear: since 1990, innovative medicines have reduced mortality by almost a third, saved around two million days in hospital each year, and thus also helped to curb healthcare expenditure.<\/p>\n
But this success story is not a given. The international environment is changing rapidly. Geopolitical tensions and new regulatory requirements are intensifying global competition between locations. In major markets such as the United States and China, large-scale investment in research, development and production within those countries is now a prerequisite for market access. For small, open economies such as Switzerland, this increases the competitive pressure noticeably. In addition, health policy developments are exacerbating the situation. In particular, the \u201cmost-favoured-nation\u201d regime in the US is having far-reaching consequences: if US prices are increasingly linked to those in Switzerland and other European countries, low Swiss prices, which are adjusted for purchasing power, will have a direct impact on the world\u2019s most important pharma-ceutical market. The consequences are foreseeable \u2013 and problematic: new medicines could be introduced in Switzerland with a delay, or only at significantly higher prices or, in the worst case, not at all. Research, clinical trials and skilled jobs are at risk of relocating abroad.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Strengthening Switzerland as a business location<\/h2>\n \n \n This development is not an abstract issue of the future: it is already a reality. Access to innovative therapies has been demonstrably worsening for some time: Switzerland is now only seventh in Europe and offers patients only around half of the new medicines that are available in Germany. This increases the risk that we in Switzerland will no longer benefit from medical progress at the same pace as our neighbouring countries. However, a reliable and timely supply of innovative medicines is not a luxury, but a crucial component of an efficient healthcare system \u2013 and a critical benchmark for the quality of medical care.<\/p>\n
Against this backdrop, a fundamental question arises: which path does Switzerland want to take? Will the focus remain primarily on short-term cost containment, or will we create an environment that enables targeted investment, introduces modern pricing processes adjusted for purchasing power, and strengthens innovation-friendly framework conditions?
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\nThe answer to this question will determine whether Switzerland can maintain its position as a leading global hub for life sciences \u2013 and whether patients will continue to have early access to medical innovations in the future. We are convinced that, with constructive cooperation between all stakeholders and a shared determination to find solutions, Switzerland can overcome this challenge and continue its success story.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n \n Download<\/h2>\n \n <\/div>\n \n \n \n \n \n ![\"Placeholder\"](\"https:\/\/www.interpharma.ch\/wp-content\/themes\/iph\/dist\/images\/publikation_placeholder.png\")
\n <\/div>\n\n \n Annual Report 2025<\/h3>\n \n \n The things that help the patients of today are crucial to the future of Switzerland as a pharmaceutical location. The Annual Report 2025 shows how medical advances, security of supply and economic strength are connected \u2013 and the direction that politics now needs to take.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n
Its economic importance is impressive: every Swiss franc of revenue generated by the pharmaceutical industry creates around CHF 3.20 in added value for Switzerland \u2013 through taxes and investment. In total, the sector contributes up to CHF 10 billion to public revenues every year and secures around 50,000 jobs directly and around 250,000 indirectly. At the same time, the medical benefits are clear: since 1990, innovative medicines have reduced mortality by almost a third, saved around two million days in hospital each year, and thus also helped to curb healthcare expenditure.<\/p>\n
But this success story is not a given. The international environment is changing rapidly. Geopolitical tensions and new regulatory requirements are intensifying global competition between locations. In major markets such as the United States and China, large-scale investment in research, development and production within those countries is now a prerequisite for market access. For small, open economies such as Switzerland, this increases the competitive pressure noticeably. In addition, health policy developments are exacerbating the situation. In particular, the \u201cmost-favoured-nation\u201d regime in the US is having far-reaching consequences: if US prices are increasingly linked to those in Switzerland and other European countries, low Swiss prices, which are adjusted for purchasing power, will have a direct impact on the world\u2019s most important pharma-ceutical market. The consequences are foreseeable \u2013 and problematic: new medicines could be introduced in Switzerland with a delay, or only at significantly higher prices or, in the worst case, not at all. Research, clinical trials and skilled jobs are at risk of relocating abroad.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n This development is not an abstract issue of the future: it is already a reality. Access to innovative therapies has been demonstrably worsening for some time: Switzerland is now only seventh in Europe and offers patients only around half of the new medicines that are available in Germany. This increases the risk that we in Switzerland will no longer benefit from medical progress at the same pace as our neighbouring countries. However, a reliable and timely supply of innovative medicines is not a luxury, but a crucial component of an efficient healthcare system \u2013 and a critical benchmark for the quality of medical care.<\/p>\n Against this backdrop, a fundamental question arises: which path does Switzerland want to take? Will the focus remain primarily on short-term cost containment, or will we create an environment that enables targeted investment, introduces modern pricing processes adjusted for purchasing power, and strengthens innovation-friendly framework conditions? The things that help the patients of today are crucial to the future of Switzerland as a pharmaceutical location. The Annual Report 2025 shows how medical advances, security of supply and economic strength are connected \u2013 and the direction that politics now needs to take.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n Strengthening Switzerland as a business location<\/h2>\n \n
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\nThe answer to this question will determine whether Switzerland can maintain its position as a leading global hub for life sciences \u2013 and whether patients will continue to have early access to medical innovations in the future. We are convinced that, with constructive cooperation between all stakeholders and a shared determination to find solutions, Switzerland can overcome this challenge and continue its success story.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n Download<\/h2>\n \n <\/div>\n \n
\n <\/div>\n\n Annual Report 2025<\/h3>\n \n