Swiss pharmaceutical industry through the ages

Roche generated huge profits from synthesising and selling Vitamin C and other vitamins for decades. Keystone / Str

Switzerland is home to two of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and hundreds of other smaller biotechs and service providers. Are there lessons from Switzerland’s rise as a pharma hub over the last century and is the pandemic a reckoning for the industry?

This content was published on November 16, 2021 - 17:12

1 minute

Jessica covers the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to big global companies and their impact in Switzerland and abroad. She’s always looking for a Swiss connection with her native San Francisco and will happily discuss why her hometown has produced some of the greatest innovations but can’t seem to solve its housing crisis.

We spoke with Basel-based cultural historian Tobias Ehrenbold in a live Instagram discussion about blockbuster drugs, marketing strategies, environmental scandals, innovations, and the challenges of navigating domestic politics abroad.

How has the pandemic affected your view of the pharmaceutical industry?

To some people, pharmaceutical companies are the heroes of the pandemic. To others, they are to blame for the challenges ending the pandemic.

Join the discussion

Mar 14, 2022

41 Comments

View the discussion

Ehrenbold is the author of the biography of Samuel Koechlin, who was the first CEO of Ciba-Geigy, which are two Novartis predecessor companies that merged in 1970. He also wrote a volume on Roche in Asia and Oceania in the recently published history book on Roche around the world. He is currently working on a book on the modern history of Basel.

If you missed it live, you can re-watch our discussion below. Follow us on InstagramExternal link for more live talks, photos and videos.

External Content

View this post on Instagram

External link
A post shared by SWI swissinfo.ch in English (@swissinfo.ch_en)External link

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

A woman sitting in a Laboratory, looking into a microscope

Swiss pharma reckons with its past, present and future

This content was published on Nov 15, 2021 This is the story of how making drugs helped turn a small, mountainous country into an industry titan, and what the pandemic means for its future.

With no prospects for profits, big pharma neglects new infectious diseases

This content was published on Mar 6, 2020 More companies are shifting resources away from emerging infectious diseases into more lucrative areas like cancer. What does this mean for Covid-19?

Time travelling in Basel

This content was published on Sep 1, 2020 How the pharma industry grew out of the textile trade, commoners seized power from the aristocracy, and how Basel became a city of culture.

Roche heirs bid goodbye to ‘unsustainable’ philanthropy

This content was published on Oct 17, 2021 The heirs of Switzerland’s pharmaceutical company Roche are ending an era as philanthropic donors for major nature conservation projects.

Swiss pharmaceutical industry through the ages

More

How has the pandemic affected your view of the pharmaceutical industry?

More

Swiss pharma reckons with its past, present and future

More

With no prospects for profits, big pharma neglects new infectious diseases

More

Time travelling in Basel

More

Roche heirs bid goodbye to ‘unsustainable’ philanthropy

Discover our weekly must-reads for free!

Manage my profile