Swiss pharma lags behind in global innovation ranking
An employee works on the production of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a factory in Marburg, Germany, on January 20, 2021.
Keystone / Biontech Se Handout
Pharmaceutical companies are currently among the most innovative firms in the world alongside tech and software giants such as Apple and Alphabet, according to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). But Swiss pharma companies rank low in their latest Top 50 list.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/swissinfo/sb
Español
es
La farmacéutica suiza se rezaga en ranking de innovación
“Pharma companies performed strongly this year, joining technology and software companies that have dominated the rankings in recent years,” said BCG in a statementExternal link on Thursday. The group have released their “Most Innovative Companies 2021” report that features a Top 50 ranking.
In 2021, nine pharmaceutical companies were ranked by BCG experts among the 50 most innovative companies, three times more than the previous year.
US pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, which have developed vaccines against Covid-19, were ranked the 10th and 20th most innovative firms. Abbott Labs (29th) and Merck & Co (35th) also featured highly in the table that was topped by Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft and Tesla.
Swiss pharmaceutical giants Novartis and Roche, which did not launch any Covid vaccines, were ranked 36th and 48th most innovative firms, respectively. They were nonetheless ahead of the British-Swedish multinational AstraZeneca (49th) and the German firm Bayer (50th).
More
More
The Swiss Connection Podcast: Hear Swiss science stories for the world
Why is Switzerland so sweet on cryptocurrency? What’s it like to be a Swiss expat in America? Swiss women couldn’t vote until when?!
While not at the forefront in developing vaccines, Swiss companies have been stepping up their involvement in manufacturing Covid-19 vaccines. Lonza is producing ingredients for the Moderna vaccine at its production plant in Visp, southern Switzerland, while pharma giant Novartis has signed deals to help manufacture both the Pfizer/BioNtech and CureVac vaccines. Roche has been focusing on Covid-19 tests and treatments.
The question of whether Switzerland should have developed its own Covid vaccines has been in the headlines in recent weeks. Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset has been caught up in a controversy for reportedly turning down an offer by Lonza to produce vaccines domestically.
Newspapers have claimed that in spring 2020 Berset missed the chance to secure a Swiss-based vaccine production line via Lonza. Berset has since said there was no clear connection between investing in Lonza and securing access to the Moderna vaccine.
A parliamentary commission plans to investigate the matter. It’s not known when their findings will be published.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swiss researchers monitor animal populations with AI microphone
This content was published on
Researchers in Lausanne are using an intelligent microphone to make the animal world audible. The microphone automatically records animal sounds over large areas and analyses them using AI.
Three employees of Swiss aid organisation killed in DRC
This content was published on
Three employees of the Swiss Protestant Reformed Church (Heks) have been killed in an attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They were on a humanitarian mission in the crisis region.
This content was published on
All our waters today are pure at source," Muriel Lienau, general manager of Nestlé Waters, told AFP after press revelations.
Switzerland concerned about impact of US withdrawal from WHO
This content was published on
Switzerland has expressed concern about the loss of American experts and the freezing of contracts due to the announced withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Rhine Falls is most rated Swiss location on Google Maps
This content was published on
The Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen, northern Switzerland, with more than 75,000 ratings, is the Swiss place most reviewed by Google Maps users.
Asian investors sue Switzerland over Credit Suisse bond losses
This content was published on
More than 500 investors from Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong have launched claims against Switzerland in relation to AT1 bonds.
Man cleared of Geneva diplomat murder but convicted of rape
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Criminal Court has acquitted an Ivorian-Italian dual national of murdering an Egyptian diplomat in Geneva in 1995.
Switzerland to cut funding for gala cultural events from 2029
This content was published on
Large-scale Swiss cultural events, such as the Locarno Film Festival, will lose state funding from 2029 as part of a cost-cutting drive by the administration.
Switzerland in race for sufficient Covid immunisation
This content was published on
Health authorities have called for an extra effort from the Swiss population to keep Covid infections as low as possible in the next few months.
Switzerland mulls future European coordination on medical supplies
This content was published on
“The pandemic has shown us that we are very dependent, maybe too much so, on other markets,” Swiss President Guy Parmelin has said.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.