Roche and Novartis make Switzerland sing

Large Basel. Nevertheless, pharmaceutical firms want higher prices for their drugs. Moreover, and are eyeing the United States.Image: Keystone / Unsplash, montage watson

Roche and Novartis are demanding more money from Europe and Switzerland for their products. Moreover, Roche even removed a drug cancer medication. Similarly, A poker-man in which Trump is also involved.

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They are even distinguished from far away, the two towers erected by the Roche pharmaceutical group, located in the peaceful center of Basel. Furthermore, With its 205 meters, Tower 2 is the highest building in Switzerland. For example, These mastodons literally crush the Basel urban landscape. Furthermore, to the point that one wonders if it would have been possible elsewhere.

Blackmail – Roche novartis make switzerland sing new

The overwhelming domination roche novartis make switzerland sing new of the two rock towers can be interpreted symbolically. Therefore, It illustrates how the proud humanist city of Basel has become dependent on Big Pharma.

Mainly thanks to Novartis and Roche, the Canton-Ville led by an ecological left majority bathed in money. Furthermore, But this situation also creates, on the edge of the Rhine, a risk of potentially fatal concentration.

The rock towers dominate the Basel landscape. In addition, For how long?Image: keystone

The roche novartis make switzerland sing new Basel population recently became fully aware of this. Meanwhile, The two pharmaceutical giants. however extremely profitable. Nevertheless, have engaged a real demonstration of force which reminds, in a barely exaggerated manner, the blackmail of roche novartis make switzerland sing the bandits: “The scholarship or life!”. Nevertheless. The latter indeed require higher prices for their drugs, and do not hesitate to use muscular methods to achieve it.

A dismaying and cruel decision

Last week, group newspapers Tamedia have revealed an unprecedented event in Switzerland. The Roche group suddenly removed its lunsumio anticancer drug from the market. presented as a real hope in the treatment of lymphoma. Oncologists said they were dismayed.

In question? A financial conflict. The Lunsumio had only received a temporary authorization from Swissmedic. the Federal Office for roche novartis make switzerland sing new Public Health (OFSP), due to incomplete data. When this authorization had to be extended, Roche suddenly rejected the previously negotiated price model. The OFSP maintained its position and refused any increase.

According to Tamediathe roche novartis make switzerland sing Swiss authorities feared the creation of a previous one for other manufacturers. Roche, for its part, justified its decision by the 5.5 billion francs invested in the development of the drug. The group therefore removed the lunsumio from the market. Even assumption of care on a case -by -case basis, however common in Switzerland, has been refused. The drug will only be issued in cases of force majeure.

The now. fragile understanding between the CEO of Novartis. Vas Narasimhan (in G.), and the president of the Basel Council of State, Conradin Cramer, illustrated.Image: keystone

A more roche novartis make switzerland sing conciliatory competitor

The Basel competitor, Novartis, adopts a more moderate posture. However. his CEO. Vas Narasimhan, made a clear speech during the presentation of the half -yearly results last week:

In other words, Novartis also requires higher prices for his medication. In April. Vas Narasimhan had already published a forum in the Financial Times Alongside Paul roche novartis make switzerland sing new Hudson. CEO of the French group Sanofi, in which they claimed that the European Union sets prices as high as in the United States.

Go Narasimhan, at the Davos forum.Image: keystone

In terms of this Donald Trump?

This declaration caused a strong reaction. In order to contain health expenses. health insurance premiums, the European Union and Switzerland strongly regulate the prices of medicines. In the United States, these prices roche novartis make switzerland sing new are largely deregulated, which makes them much higher. As a result, European pharmaceutical firms make a large share of their benefits across the Atlantic.

But President Donald Trump wants to change this. Last May, he announced that he wanted to bring back the prices of American drugs at European level. However. his speech is extremely contradictory. and he roche novartis make switzerland sing recently threatened to impose customs duties up to 200% on pharmaceutical products, which would make prices flambé.

The main objective of the American president is to force manufacturers to produce in the United States. Even if some projects are not new, Roche and Novartis have announced investments of several billion. An agreement would have been reached between Switzerland. the Trump team to exclude the pharmaceutical sector from sanctions, but the president has still not signed this document.

Failures. conflict zones

According to the New Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), the problem of Basel pharmas is partly caused by themselves. Roche would suffer from a series of failures in the development of new treatments. Three years ago, a promising drug against Alzheimer was ineffective. These failures represent considerable financial losses.

Novartis is more successful. but the NZZ stresses that new products may not quickly compensate for income loss caused by the expiration of patents. In addition, the two Basel groups missed the very lucrative turn of weight loss drugs.

On the other hand, political authorities seek to slow down the increase in health costs, which pushes questionable practices. For example, some governments negotiate confidential volume discounts with laboratories, creating roche novartis make switzerland sing new a form of competition between states.

In Basel, we missed the turning point of the lucrative market of injections for weight loss.Image: keystone

What to expect from the future?

Among the criticisms are Kerstin Noëlle Vokinger. professor of law and medicine at the EPFZ and at the University of Zurich. She tackles in particular the sensitive subject of cancer treatments. In the NZZ. she speaks of “cancer tax”. and declared:

This liar poker around drug prices may intensify. In Basel, the expansion projects of Novartis and Roche in the United States are followed with concern. As a result, we give in to all the wishes of Big Pharma. In May. the population clearly voted in favor of “reduction” of the minimum tax of the Organization for Economic Cooperation. Development (OECD).

Despite the roche novartis make switzerland sing fact that the Roche Towers may dominate the horizon for a long time. nothing is built for eternity.

Translated from German by Joel Espi

The discounter continues its frantic growth. Present in 13 countries, including Switzerland, roche novartis make switzerland sing new its sales increased by 17.9% in the first half of 2025.

Sales of the non -food discounter Action increased by 17.9% in the first half of 2025, reaching 7.3 billion euros (6.8 billion francs), announced the Dutch company Thursday, a sharp increase by the opening of 125 new stores.