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.

Desperate to save their children, parents become unexpected drug developers

This content was published on Dec 18, 2025 As the pharma industry turns away, parents of children with ultra-rare diseases step in to advance drug development.

Medicine access

Desperate to save their children, parents become unexpected drug developers

This content was published on Dec 18, 2025 As the pharma industry turns away, parents of children with ultra-rare diseases step in to advance drug development.

Microscope screen of a colon cancer cell.

More young adults are getting bowel cancer. Is Switzerland screening too late?

This content was published on Dec 10, 2025 Colorectal cancer rates are growing among the under-50. When is the right time to scan?

Your questions answered: Are there alternatives to antibiotics?

This content was published on Nov 20, 2025 Readers asked us a host of questions about rising resistance to antibiotics. We have some answers.

Timeline: How US President Trump upended the pharma industry in 2025

This content was published on Nov 18, 2025 US President Trump’s tariffs and price reforms have disrupted the pharmaceutical industry in 2025.

US trade deal forces reckoning for Swiss pharma powerhouse

This content was published on Nov 18, 2025 Swiss pharma made massive investment promises to the US that are fueling anxiety about the industry’s future in Switzerland.

Female patient lying in hospital bed (KEYSTONE/PHOTOALTO "S/Michele Constantini)

Under-50s cancer patients face system unprepared for them

This content was published on Nov 17, 2025 Countries, including Switzerland, are struggling to deal with the challenges posed by rising cancer rates among people under 50.

Swiss women forced to pay for hormone therapy after price dispute

This content was published on Nov 6, 2025 A well-known brand of hormone therapy will no longer be covered by Swiss health insurance. What’s behind the decision?

Companies are developing pills to make it easier to administer weight-loss drugs rather than injections.

The race to launch a pill for weight loss

This content was published on Oct 30, 2025 Despite success with injectable drugs pharma companies are investing heavily in tablets, long considered the holy grail of obesity medicine.

Switzerland charts new course on gender medicine despite headwinds

This content was published on Oct 23, 2025 Gender medicine is fighting to go mainstream, but funding gaps and political pushback are making it very hard.

Patent battle in India tests Roche’s grip on rare disease market

This content was published on Oct 16, 2025 What’s behind the patent battle between an Indian generic maker and Roche over a rare disease drug?

How Switzerland became liberal on abortion – without noticing

This content was published on Oct 11, 2025 From 2027 Swiss health insurers will cover the full cost of abortions. The change passed through parliament almost unnoticed.

Two white drug tablets on a red background.

Swiss drugmakers face mixed fortunes amid Trump’s tariff upheaval

This content was published on Oct 8, 2025 Pharma giants may escape the worst of the import tariffs threatened by the US. But Switzerland’s smaller developers face a more uncertain future.

Healthcare innovation

Desperate to save their children, parents become unexpected drug developers

This content was published on Dec 18, 2025 As the pharma industry turns away, parents of children with ultra-rare diseases step in to advance drug development.

More young adults are getting bowel cancer. Is Switzerland screening too late?

This content was published on Dec 10, 2025 Colorectal cancer rates are growing among the under-50. When is the right time to scan?

Your questions answered: Are there alternatives to antibiotics?

This content was published on Nov 20, 2025 Readers asked us a host of questions about rising resistance to antibiotics. We have some answers.

US trade deal forces reckoning for Swiss pharma powerhouse

This content was published on Nov 18, 2025 Swiss pharma made massive investment promises to the US that are fueling anxiety about the industry’s future in Switzerland.

Under-50s cancer patients face system unprepared for them

This content was published on Nov 17, 2025 Countries, including Switzerland, are struggling to deal with the challenges posed by rising cancer rates among people under 50.

The race to launch a pill for weight loss

This content was published on Oct 30, 2025 Despite success with injectable drugs pharma companies are investing heavily in tablets, long considered the holy grail of obesity medicine.

‘Our goal is to make the fastest and most significant impact on patients’

This content was published on Oct 25, 2025 HAYA Therapeutics CEO Samir Ounzain says his niche therapy for heart disease could change the world of medicine.

Switzerland charts new course on gender medicine despite headwinds

This content was published on Oct 23, 2025 Gender medicine is fighting to go mainstream, but funding gaps and political pushback are making it very hard.

Patent battle in India tests Roche’s grip on rare disease market

This content was published on Oct 16, 2025 What’s behind the patent battle between an Indian generic maker and Roche over a rare disease drug?

Tim Hanley at his dairy farm in western Ireland, near a Nestlé factory to which he provided milk for infant formula sold in China.

Why a prospering Irish Nestlé factory is closing down

This content was published on Oct 15, 2025 China’s baby boom enriched a small Irish town where a Nestlé factory made formula for Chinese newborns. Then a baby bust unraveled it all. Or so it seemed.

As private equity firms expand their footprint into the world of pharmaceuticals testing, many drug trials are now being vetted by companies with ties to the drugmakers, raising concerns about conflicts of interest and patient safety.

How private equity oversees the ethics of drug research

This content was published on Oct 7, 2025 Many drug trials are vetted by companies with ties to the drugmakers, raising concerns about conflicts of interest and patient safety.

How a clash with Roche exposed cracks in Swiss drug pricing system

This content was published on Sep 19, 2025 Switzerland’s new process to speed up patient access to the latest drugs hit its first major hurdle in a clash with Roche.

Agribusiness

Shark meat sold in Switzerland is contaminated with methylmercury

This content was published on Dec 17, 2025 Did you know you can find shark meat on the shelves of some Swiss grocery stories? They are rarely labeled as sharks, making it difficult for customers to know what fish they’re buying and eating.

Why is endangered shark ending up on Swiss plates?

This content was published on Dec 16, 2025 New regulations have restricted the import of shark meat but it still finds its way on to Swiss plates due to mislabelling and the clandestine trade.

‘Läckerli Huus is not for sale’

This content was published on Nov 29, 2025 Since 2007, Miriam Baumann has been at the helm of Läckerli Huus, She tells Swissinfo what makes the Läckerli so unique.

Explainer: Will Swiss supermarkets be inundated with cheap, hormone-filled beef after US tariff deal?

This content was published on Nov 20, 2025 The US has reduced tariffs on Swiss exports from 39% to 15% but has wrangled duty-free access for American meat, fish and chicken in return. Should Swiss consumers be worried?

After feeding in the Alps all summer, cows are escorted back to their farms.

Facing Trump’s tariffs, Swiss farmers find themselves with too much milk

This content was published on Nov 7, 2025 Swiss dairy farmers produced a bumper harvest of milk, but higher U.S. duties have forced them to consider ways to cut back, including slaughtering cows.

Chocolate bounty: Ghana at war against cocoa smugglers

This content was published on Nov 5, 2025 The Swiss chocolate industry’s main supplier of cocoa beans fights cocoa smuggling with new rewards for informants and support for farmers.

Harvesting coffee in Alfenas, Brazil, in July. The country is the world’s largest coffee producer.

Coffee production may be imperiled as forests are destroyed for more crops

This content was published on Oct 24, 2025 A new report by an industry watchdog adds to growing scientific consensus that as forests are felled to make way for coffee farms, rainfall decreases and crops are more likely to fail.

Sushi rice instead of potatoes? Swiss agriculture adapts to climate change

This content was published on Oct 17, 2025 In Switzerland farmers are experimenting with new crops that can withstand heat and drought. But the transition has its challenges.

Why a prospering Irish Nestlé factory is closing down

How fillers and flavours help reduce cocoa in chocolate treats

This content was published on Sep 26, 2025 Record prices of cocoa beans have boosted the development and adoption of cheaper replacement options that provide the same chocolate taste for less.

The meltdown at Nestlé

This content was published on Sep 22, 2025 The scandal at the Swiss food giant raises questions about its corporate culture and the health of its conglomerate model.

What matters most in your choice of meat products and why?

Certain American farming practices are banned in other countries: cattle are treated with growth-promoting hormones, for example. Would this put you off from buying American produce or is price the key factor?

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Sep 16, 2025

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Health Economy

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Desperate to save their children, parents become unexpected drug developers

More

Desperate to save their children, parents become unexpected drug developers

More

More young adults are getting bowel cancer. Is Switzerland screening too late?

More

Your questions answered: Are there alternatives to antibiotics?

More

Timeline: How US President Trump upended the pharma industry in 2025

More

US trade deal forces reckoning for Swiss pharma powerhouse

More

Under-50s cancer patients face system unprepared for them

More

Swiss women forced to pay for hormone therapy after price dispute

More

The race to launch a pill for weight loss

More

Switzerland charts new course on gender medicine despite headwinds

More

Patent battle in India tests Roche’s grip on rare disease market

More

How Switzerland became liberal on abortion – without noticing

More

Swiss drugmakers face mixed fortunes amid Trump’s tariff upheaval

More

Desperate to save their children, parents become unexpected drug developers

More

More young adults are getting bowel cancer. Is Switzerland screening too late?

More

Your questions answered: Are there alternatives to antibiotics?

More

US trade deal forces reckoning for Swiss pharma powerhouse

More

Under-50s cancer patients face system unprepared for them

More

The race to launch a pill for weight loss

More

‘Our goal is to make the fastest and most significant impact on patients’

More

Switzerland charts new course on gender medicine despite headwinds

More

Patent battle in India tests Roche’s grip on rare disease market

More

Why a prospering Irish Nestlé factory is closing down

More

How private equity oversees the ethics of drug research

More

How a clash with Roche exposed cracks in Swiss drug pricing system

More

Shark meat sold in Switzerland is contaminated with methylmercury

More

Why is endangered shark ending up on Swiss plates?

More

‘Läckerli Huus is not for sale’

More

Explainer: Will Swiss supermarkets be inundated with cheap, hormone-filled beef after US tariff deal?

More

Facing Trump’s tariffs, Swiss farmers find themselves with too much milk

More

Chocolate bounty: Ghana at war against cocoa smugglers

More

Coffee production may be imperiled as forests are destroyed for more crops

More

Sushi rice instead of potatoes? Swiss agriculture adapts to climate change

More

Why a prospering Irish Nestlé factory is closing down

More

How fillers and flavours help reduce cocoa in chocolate treats

More

The meltdown at Nestlé

More

What matters most in your choice of meat products and why?

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