Tariffs ‘threaten global medicine supply’: Swiss pharma agency

Interpharma: 'global patient supply at risk' Keystone-SDA

United States tariffs on medicines have threatened global drug supply chains, says an association representing Swiss pharmaceutical companies.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

Customs barriers disrupt production and supply chains and hinder research and development, Interpharma told AWP. They also threaten to permanently damage the close and important economic cooperation between Switzerland and the US.

+ How pharma became Switzerland’s Achilles heel in the US

The association hopes bilateral talks can continue to either reduce or exempt tariffs on drugs.

However, the announcement is a “wake-up call”, says Interpharma. Trump’s plan hits Switzerland’s most important export sector, which is crucial not only for prosperity, but also for tax revenues and research. In 2024 alone, the branch exported medicines worth more than CHF100 billion.

+ Sandoz board chair ‘convinced that common sense will ultimately prevail’ on US pharma tariffs

The association urged Swiss politicians to quickly send visible signals to ensure international competitiveness. These include the suspension of new regulatory projects and the modernisation of the pricing mechanism for innovative therapies.

In the medium term, a comprehensive life sciences strategy is also deemed necessary, to be developed jointly by the federal administration, politics and industry. Without a clear focus on the role of the pharmaceutical industry in the economy and healthcare, the existing obstacles will remain.

“Continuing as before is not an option,” said Interpharma. Only with constructive solutions is it possible to maintain the pharmaceutical industry as an engine of growth, the association concludes.

Translated from Italian with DeepL/mga

How we work

We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication.  

Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.

If you have any questions about how we work, write to us at [e-mail].

News