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Vittoria Vardanega

Health and data journalist. I cover a wide range of healthcare topics, from cutting-edge therapies to global health. My stories are often data-driven, and I strive to make complex issues clear and accessible. Before becoming a full-time journalist, I worked in communication, research, and data analysis for the UN and EU. In the private sector, I developed health economics models to inform policy and investment decisions. Originally from Italy, I am now based in Zurich.

The average cost of developing a new drug, from discovery to launch, reached $2.23 billion in 2024 for the world's 20 biggest biopharma companies – a 65% jump from 2014.

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Healthcare innovation

Why drugs are becoming more expensive to develop

This content was published on Drug development has always been expensive and risky, but now it’s measurably more so than a decade ago. Here are three reasons why.

Read more: Why drugs are becoming more expensive to develop
People observe a minute of silence in memory of the victims as they watch on a screen in "Le Regent Congress hall" the official commemorative ceremony during the national day of mourning following the deadly fire at the "Le Constellation" bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Friday, January 9.

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Medicine access

Crans-Montana: when a medical bill is not just a bill

This content was published on After the deadly bar fire in Crans-Montana, unexpected hospital invoices sent across the border ignited tensions between Switzerland and Italy – and revealed how systems clash when tragedy strikes.

Read more: Crans-Montana: when a medical bill is not just a bill
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Health systems

When sperm crosses borders, national safeguards fall short

This content was published on The sperm of a Danish donor carried a cancer-causing genetic mutation that led to the deaths of children. Switzerland’s strict regulations make scenarios of this scale unlikely.

Read more: When sperm crosses borders, national safeguards fall short
MMR vaccine. Syringe and vial on a counter. This combined vaccine protects infants from three viral diseases: measles, mumps and rubella.

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Medicine access

One paper, 20 years of damage

This content was published on Nearly 30 years ago an academic paper wrongly linked autism to a measles vaccine. The impacts are still being felt today.

Read more: One paper, 20 years of damage

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR