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.

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

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

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.

Medicine access

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.

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.

Rising health insurance premiums and debates over media fees are hitting the wallets of people in Switzerland.

Switzerland Today

This content was published on Sep 23, 2025 Rising health insurance premiums and debates over media fees are making headlines in Switzerland.

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.

The high stakes fight over drug prices

This content was published on Sep 19, 2025 Global drug pricing disputes are intensifying as pharma firms and regulators clash over how much a medicine is worth.

Are US patients subsidising healthcare abroad? Journalist Jessica Davis Pluess takes a look at this claim.

Truth or tale: Are US patients subsidising healthcare in Switzerland?

This content was published on Sep 4, 2025 Truth or tale: Are US patients subsidising healthcare in the rest of the world?

How Novartis got ahead on ‘incredible’ cancer breakthrough

This content was published on Sep 2, 2025 The Swiss pharma group has become a pioneer in a new type of targeted radiotherapy.

Healthcare innovation

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.

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.

The high stakes fight over drug prices

This content was published on Sep 19, 2025 Global drug pricing disputes are intensifying as pharma firms and regulators clash over how much a medicine is worth.

How Novartis got ahead on ‘incredible’ cancer breakthrough

This content was published on Sep 2, 2025 The Swiss pharma group has become a pioneer in a new type of targeted radiotherapy.

Would you want to know if you were at risk of a disease? Why or why not?

How early would you like to know if you were prone to a disease, and have you ever experienced issues with a diagnosis? Tell us about your story.

Join the discussion

Aug 25, 2025

1 Likes

3 Comments

View the discussion

A medical personnel helps a patient in a CT scanner, used for diagnosis.

When diagnosing a disease does more harm than good

This content was published on Aug 25, 2025 Switzerland has the highest number of MRI scanners per person in Europe. But more screening doesn’t always lead to better health outcomes.

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.

Agribusiness

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?

Join the discussion

Sep 16, 2025

2 Likes

6 Comments

View the discussion

Can Switzerland lower agricultural tariffs to negotiate a better deal with the US?

This content was published on Sep 15, 2025 The European Union, which wrangled a much lower US tariff, offered concessions on certain food imports. Is this an option for Switzerland?

Whistleblowing platform led to dismissal of Nestlé CEO

This content was published on Sep 4, 2025 Laurent Freixe was removed from the top job at Nestlé because of an “undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate”. It was the company’s anonymous reporting platform Speak Up that first raised the alarm.

Food companies are making treats unhealthier to win over Gen Z

This content was published on Sep 3, 2025 Food firms are counting on Gen Z to grow their profits and are exploiting their sweet tooth and penchant for social media trends to boost sales.

Why bird flu could threaten traditional Swiss cheeses

This content was published on Aug 22, 2025 Switzerland’s cows have dodged the global H5N1 bird flu so far. But if it hits dairy herds, the country’s iconic cheeses could be at risk.

Health Economy

More

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

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

How private equity oversees the ethics of drug research

More

Switzerland Today

More

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

More

The high stakes fight over drug prices

More

Truth or tale: Are US patients subsidising healthcare in Switzerland?

More

How Novartis got ahead on ‘incredible’ cancer breakthrough

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

The high stakes fight over drug prices

More

How Novartis got ahead on ‘incredible’ cancer breakthrough

More

Would you want to know if you were at risk of a disease? Why or why not?

More

When diagnosing a disease does more harm than good

More

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

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?

More

Can Switzerland lower agricultural tariffs to negotiate a better deal with the US?

More

Whistleblowing platform led to dismissal of Nestlé CEO

More

Food companies are making treats unhealthier to win over Gen Z

More

Why bird flu could threaten traditional Swiss cheeses

Community corner: latest debates and surveys

Our videos multinational companies

The history of Swiss pharma

More on health economy

Popular Stories