Living in one of the world’s wealthiest nations with a high-quality healthcare system should guarantee access to newest medications. But in Switzerland, this is not necessarily the case.
This is according to a new report by Interpharma, the umbrella association of Swiss pharmaceutical companies.
It points out that, in order to comply with US policy aimed at lowering drug pricing, 10 new treatments were not submitted to Switzerland’s drug regulatory body, Swissmedic, or health insurers, for the 2025–2026 period.
“As a result, patients in Switzerland do not have access to around a third of all newly developed, innovative medicines,” Interpharma said, adding that “pharmaceutical companies are already delaying or foregoing the launch of new therapies in Switzerland to avoid jeopardising their prices in the US.”
“This poses a serious threat to equal access to innovative medicines in Switzerland,” the organisation said, pointing out that this inaction “will lead to a decline of patient care in Switzerland.”
For instance, between January 2025 and June 2026 companies “opted not to submit seven of the 22 new innovative medicines for inclusion on the list of specialties. For three others, they even decided against filing an authorisation application with Swissmedic.”
Why is this happening?
According to Interpharma, US policy – specifically its “most-favoured-nation” (MFN) clause – is “accentuating the already negative trend in access to innovative medicines in Switzerland.”
It cites a study based on data from the years 2021–2024, which showed that, compared to Germany, only about half of new therapies are currently available to patients in Switzerland, “so it is all the more important that access to innovation is not further restricted.”
The report’s conclusion: “Switzerland needs a pricing system compatible with the MFN clause that gives equal weight to the care, quality, and cost aspects of innovations.”
