Swiss drugmakers face mixed fortunes amid Trump’s tariff upheaval

Pharma giants may escape the worst of the import tariffs threatened by US President Donald Trump as they cut drug prices and commit to invest billions in US manufacturing. But Switzerland’s smaller developers face a more uncertain future. More pharma companies are expected to follow in the steps of American giant Pfizer and secure deals with the Trump administration to avoid trade tariffs of 100% on all patent-protected drugs entering the country. The president said the tax, which targets an array of medication from weight-loss to heart failure drugs, would go into force on October 1, but it has yet to be implemented. Multinationals like AstraZeneca (United Kingdom) and Sanofi (France) grabbed headlines as they committed to invest in the US over the last few months. In Switzerland, Roche said it would invest $50 billion (CHF40 billion), while Novartis announced $23 billion over the next five years. Hundreds of Switzerland’s smaller drug developers and producers face a more ...