Health Economy

We examine the impact of major global companies in Switzerland and internationally, with a primary focus on key Swiss industries: pharma, healthcare, food, and agribusiness.

Have you experienced food shortages or food price spikes in your country recently?

The rise in conflicts, unpredictable weather and economic shocks have made food supply chains more vulnerable to disruption.

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Jul 14, 2025

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Medicine access

Dealing with vaccine hesitancy in the age of misinformation – lessons from Switzerland

This content was published on Jul 12, 2025 In Switzerland, complementary and alternative medicine is key to addressing vaccine hesitancy.

A nurse organises samples at the Tengani health center in the Nsanje district of Southern Malawi on November 25, 2014 where Riders for Health's biker Mathias Semba will collect blood samples to be delivered over a hundred kilometres away in Thiolo before being tested at a viral load lab.

Can AI bridge the access to healthcare gap in sub-Saharan Africa?

This content was published on Jul 9, 2025 A Swiss-led initiative could be a game changer in helping health-workers in remote areas access medical knowledge.

Swiss inaction threatens global antibiotic development push

This content was published on Jul 8, 2025 Switzerland risks stalling global antibiotic innovation amid rising resistance.

Can Saudi Arabia’s billions unlock the secrets to a longer, healthier life?

This content was published on Jul 3, 2025 Longevity has been an underfunded area of biotech research but that is changing thanks to an unlikely source: Saudi Arabia.

A pharmacist with a customer in France offering a generic drug.

How US tariffs could disrupt the generic drugs supply chain

This content was published on Jul 1, 2025 US tariffs on generics could raise drug prices and accentuate shortages. That’s not what US President Donald Trump had in mind.

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

This content was published on Jun 28, 2025 In an exclusive interview with Swissinfo, Sandoz chair Gilbert Ghostine says he remains optimistic despite looming tariff hikes.

A man checks an oscillating surgical saw blade at one of the leading manufacturers of medical devices for bone surgery, Gomina, in canton Valais.

Syringes, scanners and implants: How US tariffs could affect medical device manufacturers

This content was published on Jun 17, 2025 Swiss-made insulin pens and orthopaedic implants are being caught in the crosshairs of global trade tensions.

MMR vaccine. Syringe and vial on a counter. This combined vaccine protects infants from three viral diseases: measles, mumps and rubella.

One paper, 20 years of damage

This content was published on May 30, 2025 Nearly 30 years ago an academic paper wrongly linked autism to a measles vaccine. The impacts are still being felt today.

Global concern over measles is rising. Should Switzerland worry?

This content was published on May 30, 2025 Measles is making a global comeback. In Switzerland, a crisis is unlikely – but authorities warn a strong vaccination rate remains crucial.

A young patient is fitted with an exoskeleton.

Rare diseases take centre stage at global health summit

This content was published on May 27, 2025 Rare diseases have been recognised as a global health priority for the first time. How could this impact access to life-saving treatment?

Novartis bets on ageing as next frontier in drug development

This content was published on May 23, 2025 Swiss pharma giant Novartis is diving into research on ageing to tap the growing market for drugs that help keep older adults healthy.

Despite Trump’s bold claims, medicine prices in Europe won’t rise anytime soon

This content was published on May 15, 2025 US President Trump has taken aim at Europe for undercharging for medicine. But raising prices in Europe would face strong pushback.

Healthcare innovation

Dealing with vaccine hesitancy in the age of misinformation – lessons from Switzerland

This content was published on Jul 12, 2025 In Switzerland, complementary and alternative medicine is key to addressing vaccine hesitancy.

Can AI bridge the access to healthcare gap in sub-Saharan Africa?

This content was published on Jul 9, 2025 A Swiss-led initiative could be a game changer in helping health-workers in remote areas access medical knowledge.

Swiss inaction threatens global antibiotic development push

This content was published on Jul 8, 2025 Switzerland risks stalling global antibiotic innovation amid rising resistance.

Can Saudi Arabia’s billions unlock the secrets to a longer, healthier life?

This content was published on Jul 3, 2025 Longevity has been an underfunded area of biotech research but that is changing thanks to an unlikely source: Saudi Arabia.

Photo of a woman in front of a screen with colourful background.

What you didn’t know about psychiatry and Switzerland

This content was published on Jun 27, 2025 Here are three things you didn’t know about psychiatry and Switzerland.

Global concern over measles is rising. Should Switzerland worry?

This content was published on May 30, 2025 Measles is making a global comeback. In Switzerland, a crisis is unlikely – but authorities warn a strong vaccination rate remains crucial.

One paper, 20 years of damage

This content was published on May 30, 2025 Nearly 30 years ago an academic paper wrongly linked autism to a measles vaccine. The impacts are still being felt today.

Novartis bets on ageing as next frontier in drug development

This content was published on May 23, 2025 Swiss pharma giant Novartis is diving into research on ageing to tap the growing market for drugs that help keep older adults healthy.

Chinese biotechs eye Swiss collaboration as relations with US sour

This content was published on May 8, 2025 With growing uncertainty in the US, Chinese companies are swooping in to present themselves as stable, open partners to the Swiss biotech sector.

The Basel researcher whose work triggered a longevity revolution

This content was published on May 7, 2025 Basel-based scientist Michael Hall’s discovery of the gene Target of Rapamycin has fuelled one of the fastest growing trends – longevity.

A woman holding an hourglass, with a DNA string illustration and nature scenery in the background

How Switzerland became a longevity hot spot

This content was published on May 2, 2025 People have come to Switzerland for centuries in search of the fountain of youth. How did the country become a magnet for longevity seekers?

Longevity clinics: modern-day snake oil or the key to healthy ageing?

This content was published on May 2, 2025 Scientists have yet to find the elixir of life but this hasn’t stopped longevity clinics from selling treatments, pills and gadgets that claim to slow ageing.

Agribusiness

Have you experienced food shortages or food price spikes in your country recently?

The rise in conflicts, unpredictable weather and economic shocks have made food supply chains more vulnerable to disruption.

Join the discussion

Jul 14, 2025

1 Comments

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Does your country have enough food reserves to withstand a crisis?

This content was published on Jul 14, 2025 Despite the increasing risks of war, unpredictable weather and economic shocks to food security, only 30 countries are actively using grain reserves. Switzerland is one of them.

Journalist Anand Chandrasekhar sitting at a table, holding up a picture of a chocolate bar.

Truth or tale: is Swiss chocolate tainted by child labour?

This content was published on Jul 7, 2025 A reader asked if it was true that children are involved in cocoa production for the Swiss chocolate industry. Swissinfo tried to get to the bottom of this complex issue.

How important are common resources in today’s world?

In a globalised world, are collectively-managed land or resources – so-called commons – still relevant?

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Jun 20, 2025

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Elinor Ostrom receives the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden

The Swiss mountain village that inspired a Nobel Prize and digital governance

This content was published on Jun 20, 2025 A small Swiss mountain village has become the focus of scientific attention thanks to Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom.

Child labour risks in chocolate supply chains go beyond just cocoa

This content was published on Jun 18, 2025 While cocoa gets the most attention from the chocolate industry when it comes to eliminating child labour, other ingredients like sugar, nuts or vanilla are also high risk.

A limited edition of 500 bars of Lindt's Dubai chocolate went on sale at the Lindt Museum in Kilchberg on November 16, 2024.

Dubai chocolate trend leaves Swiss chocolatiers competing for pistachios

This content was published on Jun 12, 2025 The TikTok-fuelled popularity of Dubai chocolate has prompted Swiss chocolate companies to develop their own versions, spiking demand for pistachios.

Swiss food labels must declare animal suffering from July

This content was published on Jun 4, 2025 From July 1, food labels in Switzerland will have to disclose whether products of animal origin involve painful practices. The Swiss federal government has approved a series of ordinances requiring the labelling of meat, eggs and foie gras.

Ukraine’s once pioneering agriculture drone industry is hoping to return to the skies

This content was published on Jun 4, 2025 Restrictions due to the war have killed off growth in an industry that is hoping for a renaissance once the fighting is over.

Selling Swiss cheese: ‘The main problem with the US today is uncertainty’

This content was published on May 31, 2025 Planned customs hikes are prompting US importers of Swiss cheese to adopt a wait-and-see approach, says Philippe Bardet.

Vegan sausages at a supermarket in Switzerland.

Swiss court bans animal names for vegan meat substitutes

This content was published on May 5, 2025 Plant-based meat alternatives must no longer use names directly referencing animals, such as ‘vegan chicken’ or ‘vegan pork’.

Egg shortages force food industry to think outside the coop

This content was published on Apr 9, 2025 Culling of chickens due to bird flu and increasing demand has led to a spike in egg prices and given vegan alternatives something to crow about.

Community corner: latest debates and surveys

Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?

Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.

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Oct 8, 2024

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Our videos multinational companies

Truth or tale: is Swiss chocolate tainted by child labour?

What you didn’t know about psychiatry and Switzerland

This content was published on Jun 27, 2025 Here are three things you didn’t know about psychiatry and Switzerland.

How Switzerland became a longevity hot spot

This content was published on May 2, 2025 People have come to Switzerland for centuries in search of the fountain of youth. How did the country become a magnet for longevity seekers?

Lost stem cells: the scandal of a Swiss cord blood bank

This content was published on Mar 21, 2025 Imagine placing all your hopes on your baby’s stem cells to save their life or yours, only to fear seeing that hope vanish along with your child’s cells.

Information campaigns on sexually transmitted infections needed more than ever

What the Swiss don’t know about sexually transmitted infections

This content was published on Mar 19, 2025 Many Swiss are not that savvy about sexually transmitted infections. Even so, a programme to inform people about STIs is being cut.

The history of Swiss pharma

Swiss pharma reckons with its past, present and future

A woman sitting in a Laboratory, looking into a microscope

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.